The Shadows Around Us
by TheDarken
Summary: Spyro and Cynder leave the world's core after defeating Malefor, and find an unknown shadow dragon along the way out. Only they don't know that the past of this shadow dragon comes to haunt them all.
1. A New Era

He had done it. He had restored the world as it was before, in one peace, and on top of that, the war was finally over.

Spyro was lying on the ground with his eyes closed, feeling more peaceful than he thought he ever had.

A content sigh sounded next to the purple dragon, and he opened his eyes to see Cynder lying right next to him, needless to say, she too was happy to finally get a break from the fighting.

The purple dragon smiled at her, feeling happy, successful and lucky to still be alive and well, with his companion. He was very drained from the final fight with Malefor. But it didn't seem to weight on him, only happy thoughts and feelings flowing through him. Still, some greens gems would be very welcome, as he had used up easily most of his elemental magic on the fight against Malefor, and pulling the world back together – even if he had no idea how he had done it.

Just then, he remembered something, 'I love you' – those words rang in his head. The words repeated themselves, multiple times before he could place them at the right place and time. It had been Cynder who said it, only moments ago, when he had been pulling the planet back together. Spyro had not expected to hear that from her, but he was more than glad that he did. He draped a wing over her back and she smiled to him.

Spyro wanted to tell her about all the feelings he had developed during their adventures, how he had never felt so close to anyone. He loved her, and wanted to bring up the subject and pull her closer. Only, his mind was failing to form any way of telling her. He was just about to open his mouth to ask, if Cynder had really asked what he thought she had, but she beat him to it.

"Spyro.. Did you.. Did you hear what I said earlier..?" Cynder asked with red cheeks, looking unsure and embarrassed.

The purple dragon opened and closed his mouth a few times before he found his voice at all.

"Y-yes, I did" he stuttered. His throat felt a little tight as he tried to continue, the black dragoness's anxious glance not at all helping him. "I..I f-feel the same for y-you, I l-love you too." He finished awkwardly, while trying calm his furiously beating heart.

Cynder's eyes flashed with tears of joy. She rushed in for a hug with a bounce, nearly knocking Spyro on his back. She wrapped her forepaws around his neck and Spyro returned the gesture after he had recovered from the sudden, unexpected act. He wrapped his wings around her back pressing her firmly against his chest.

They both pulled back enough to look at each other from eye to eye. While holding that loving glance, Cynder slowly moved her muzzle closer to Spyro's for a kiss. Spyro stiffened when their lips met, but soon relaxed to the soothing emotion. He savored the moment, blocking out everything in the world except her. How long they stayed like that, he had no idea. Slowly they pulled their muzzles apart, smiling still a little awkwardly to each other.

"Nice to know you want to stay with me, even without the chain" Spyro said with an amused smirk.

Cynder smacked him gently with the flat of her tail blade. "You purple lump, of course I want to." She replied, giggling. They still remained locked together in a warm, tight hug.

They stayed like that for a long time, even if neither of them could actually tell how fast the time was passing. They cherished the loving moment, rubbing cheeks against each others. For that moment they felt they had everything they could ever want. Slowly Cynder released him from her hold.

She looked around her and continued, "Uhm, how exactly do we get out of here?"

Spyro hadn't come to think of it. They were still in the large cavern with the crystal where Malefor had been sealed. The rocky walls were sealed shut everywhere, leaving no way out of there.

Then an idea sprung to his mind. He began to walk around the cavern, using his earth element he tried to feel out any sort of opening or a thin wall of rock they could get through. His paws glowed green as he examined the cave, he was low on elemental magic, but a simple task like that wouldn't drain him much. He thought he felt something and looked up to see a patch on the rocky wall that had cracks on it.

Cynder followed his purple companion's gaze to the wall and nodded when he turned his head to her and jerked towards the possible opening.

Spyro took flight and gathered enough of his remaining strength to form an earth missile. He shot it to the wall, it left a small hole where they could see through. There was definitely a tunnel in there. He was preparing another earth missile when Cynder suddenly grabbed him and pulled him to shadows with her. They got through the hole without trouble, but Spyro looked more or less dizzy.

"Warn me the next time you do that!" He exclaimed, shaking his head. Not feeling too amused by getting pulled into darkness all of a sudden.

But clearly his black scaled companion didn't take him seriously and only laughed at his expression. "Naaww, where's the fun in that?"

Spyro tried to glare, but he couldn't hold a grudge against Cynder's twinkling emerald eyes. "Well, we probably should get going. We have no way of knowing how far it is back to the surface."

She only nodded in reply and they started their trip away from the world's core. Occasionally they had to rely on Cynder's shadow element to get through some parts of the narrow caves, while Spyro tried to navigate the fastest way away from the seemingly endless tunnels.

"Hey Spyro"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think it's a little weird that there are tunnels this deep below the surface?"

Spyro frowned. That was quite a good question, why would there be tunnels wide enough for a dragon to walk near the world's core?

"Maybe the moles have dug the tunnels to inspect the volcano from here?" Spyro offered.

"Maybe" Cynder muttered, not quite convinced.

Somehow she didn't think that was the case. Why would the moles go through all the trouble to dig this wide tunnels just to inspect a volcano?

She pushed the thought away, focusing on getting back to the surface. It wasn't fun by any means, wandering in tunnels without any source of light, even if she didn't have a problem with the absence of light, she was a shadow dragoness after all.

Somewhere ahead a glint of light could be seen, sticking out quite well in a dark tunnel. But that was no sunlight, it was deep purple. The two young dragons exchanged a puzzled look and strode towards it.

As they got closer to the source of light, the tunnel expanded a lot, much to their delight. As they rounded a corner, both dragons gasped at the sight.

There, inside a big deep purple crystal, was a dragon who couldn't be older than Spyro and Cynder. It was a male shadow dragon. He had four ivory horns crowning his head, his body was completely black, save for the red crests and markings on his wings. He wore thick, golden bracelets around his limbs and tail.

It was a good while before either of the young dragons could figure out what to say.

"Who in the world is he, and how did he end up here?" Spyro questioned.

"Or how long has he been there?" Cynder continued.

They both fell into their thoughts, new questions entering their minds concerning the unknown dragon inside the crystal. Who could have put him there in the first place? After all, it didn't seem likely he would have sealed himself inside there, underground, where he would likely never be found. Spyro found himself thinking whether dragons beside purple ones, could even create that kind of crystals.

Eventually, Cynder voiced one of her questions. "You think we should try to break the crystal?" She asked with an uncertain voice with a frown stretched on her face.

"I guess. " Spyro grunted "I don't think it would be right to just leave him there.."

The black scaled dragoness only nodded slowly. She raised a paw to the surface of the big gem. It felt cool and smooth, not unlike spirit gems. But when she tried to break it, she found herself unable to shatter it. She tried to hit it harder, only to hurt her paw.

"Ow, this thing is hard as a rock" She said, grimacing at her hurt paw.

Spyro raised an eyebrow, touching the crystal himself. As he laid his paw on it, a purple wave of light swept through it. Spyro started, and pulled his paw back. Both young dragons exchanged a weirded out glance, not having expected the crystal to react to touch in such a way.

Cynder beckoned him to continue, doing whatever he had done and after a little pause, Spyro raised his paw back on the gem. Again it started to flicker with purple light, growing more intense by the second, but this time Spyro didn't pull his paw back. Soon the whole crystal shone bright and both dragons had to shield their eyes with their wings. Then with a crack, it shattered and the light died away, only leaving the unknown shadow dragon on the ground.

"How did you do that? I couldn't even scratch that crystal." Cynder asked, looking questioningly at Spyro.

"I..I don't know.. I didn't do anything, really. It just.. started to react like that when I touched it." He said uncertainly. The black dragoness grunted thoughtfully as a response.

They both turned their gazes to the unknown dragon, still lying on the ground, not showing any signs of life. Anxiously, Spyro approached him and nudged him with a paw. Still nothing, the purple dragon lowered his paw to the dragon's neck, trying to feel his pulse.

Pump…Pump… It was a little faint, and slow but it was there.

"He's alive." Spyro stated, turning to face Cynder. "His pulse is slow, but he's definitely still alive."

She sighed in relief. Whoever he was, he was one of the very few dragons their age she had seen. The more dragons alive, the better, she thought and moved to check on the unconscious dragon as well.

"It's like he's still in a deep sleep." Cynder told Spyro, listening to the slow, but peaceful breaths the black dragon was taking.

"I guess I will have to carry him. Help me lift him to my back."

Cynder nodded and moved her forepaws beneath the black dragon and started positioning him on Spyro's back. Certain that the dragon wouldn't fall, they continued their journey.

They must have continued for an hour or so and whereas the dragon wasn't actually heavy, the extra weight on his back was starting to take a toll on the purple dragon. When had he actually had a proper rest last time? He tried to push those thoughts away, pushing forwards a touch faster.

Luckily, the tunnel was fairly wide at that point and Spyro was sure they were getting close to the surface. And he was right, they were no longer going upwards at all, they were walking on an ever widening tunnel now. He realized that someone must have been there, even if long ago. The tunnel had extended to a small cave system. A few rooms were formed, as if made that way by using the earth element. Some books, and old looking papers could be seen on a table in one of the rooms.

"We are close now," Spyro stated.

"Mhm," Cynder grunted, concentrating, she could feel the slightest wind coming through somewhere. "Over there. I can feel the wind coming from there." She pointed a talon on a corner of an empty large room's ceiling.

It had definitely been an exit before, only now it was sealed tightly by lots of loose rocks.

Spyro looked at the sight with a distasteful expression. "I don't think I can manage enough of energy to get us through that without resting. And that's too thick to get through with your shadow element.." Spyro said feeling a little annoyed. They were so close to fresh air, and they couldn't reach it yet.

"Maybe, but there's another way of getting through." Cynder winked at him. "Leave it to me."

Spyro wasn't sure of what she was planning and decided just to wait and see. She took a few steps back from the sealed opening and took a deep breath. Purple energy began to form in her mouth, glowing brightly and growing stronger. Only once she was sure she had gathered enough of energy she unleashed her convexity blast.

Spyro shielded himself with his wings, expecting to be hit by dozens of rocks in a moment. To his surprise, none came and he looked to see that the beam went clean through, disintegrating all of the rocks in its path. Cynder had already jumped through the opening and was grinning triumphantly at him from the outside.

"You coming or not?" She joked at him.

Spyro shook his head in amusement. Cynder always seemed to have solutions to most problems, even if they were a bit radical – convexity was a very powerful element after all.

Spyro jumped lightly and flapped his straining wings. The shadow dragon on his back sure did feels like _a lot_ of extra weight when they were off the ground. He landed with an audible thud and nearly stumbled and lost his balance. Cynder snorted a laughter but tried to balance him out with a wing anyway.

Spyro took a deep refreshing breath as his nostrils were filled with cool fresh air, which was a very welcome change after wandering in the tunnels for who knows how long.

The exit of the tunnel brought them out to the open air from the base of a massive volcano. They were surrounded by luscious green bushes and trees. He frowned, how were the trees, bushes and everything so alive and well? The very same volcano had been leaking lava all over the lands around it, not to mention the ocean of grublins that come straight from where they were now. Maybe that whatever power he had used to restore the world as it was, had also erased the damage that had been done to it. It did seem unlikely, but then again, pulling the world back together peace by peace wasn't actually normal either.

Cynder's voice jolted him away from his thoughts. "It's getting dark soon." She said, looking at the horizon to see the light slowly fading. "I will go and catch us something to eat. Think you can manage a fire for us?"

"Yeah, sure. You're sure you don't want me to come along?"

Cynder smiled at his helpfulness. "Nah, I'm fine. Besides you need to keep an eye on him, in case he happens to wake up." She said glancing at the still asleep shadow dragon.

Spyro nodded in understanding, and watched as her black scales disappeared to the forest. He started ripping twigs off from the bushes, they were small and would burn out faster than bigger branches, but they would do for now.

After a while of working he had gotten a pile of small twigs and a few rocks that he used to surround the fire. It was something Ignitus had taught him, when they were still staying at the Dragon Temple. He had instructed to always keep the fire contained, otherwise he might burn down the entire forest.

He paused with his work, sadness grasping his mind. Ignitus.. Spyro hadn't come to think of it, he was gone, really gone. His mentor who had taught him so much wouldn't be waiting him at Warfang. Unshed tears stung his eyes and he wiped them with a paw. At least he had accomplished his last wish. He had gotten them through Belt of Fire, and it was thanks to that they had gotten so far. A sad smile crept to his lips and he sniffed. Gazing to the last rays of sunlight, he thought to himself 'Thank you Ignitus, thank you for everything.'

To get his mind to something else he placed the twigs in middle of the stone circle and started to breath fire to it. His fire came out as a pitiful stream, but it got the job done. The dry wood started to burn better than he expected, which was great, he didn't think he could manage to breath any more of fire for now. Satisfied, he lied down on to his stomach looking as the fire flickered in the gentle wind.

Silent pawsteps could soon be heard and Spyro turned to see Cynder walking closer to the fire with 3 rabbits on hanging from her mouth. She placed them in front of him and beckoned him to start warming them up.

"Thought I'd catch one for him as well, if he would happen wake up." Cynder said.

"I wonder how long he will be like that. I have no idea how long we were unconscious after grublins broke that crystal we were in." Spyro wondered.

"I doubt for very long, those creatures kind of made sure of that." Cynder quipped.

Spyro chuckled lightly. "Feels good doesn't it? For the first time since I left from home, I can actually relax, not having to think how to make it through the day." He said, a contented smile stretched on his face.

"It does, some holidays are welcome after everything we've been through."

They ate their rabbits, but one was left extra, and they decided to share it on the morning if their companion didn't wake up.

Cynder snuggled next to her purple dragon, her head resting on his shoulder. Spyro stretched his wing over her back and it wasn't long before they fell asleep - a very much deserved sleep for the two dragons who had just saved the world.

Spyro could feel the sun rays basically poking his eyelids, but he refused to open them yet. He wanted to sleep just a little bit longer. But no matter how hard he tried, the light wasn't giving him a chance of prolonged sleep.

Yawning, he opened his eyes. Cynder's head was still resting on his shoulder, she appeared to still be asleep. Apparently the shadow dragon who was on the other side of the fire was too, which was hardly a surprise though.

Slowly moving to the side, Spyro got up, while trying to not wake Cynder. Apparently he didn't have success though, her eyelids flickered and she drew in a long breath and started to stretch her legs.

"Morning" She mumbled to Spyro, still a little sleepy.

"I tried not to wake you, guess I had no luck." He replied with a smile.

"It's okay, we are leaving soon anyways, right?"

"I thought I'd look for some green gems before we leave. I could use extra energy if I'm going to be carrying him all the way to Warfang."

Cynder nodded and watched Spyro walk off in search of gems. She let her mind wander as she waited for him to come back, all kinds of thoughts crossing her mind. Would she be accepted in Warfang? Or would she still be seen as a threat, an enemy by majority of the dragon population?

She felt her spirits drop at those thoughts. Surely she had been fighting Malefor along with Spyro, but she had still taken lives of so many, and injured countless of innocent dragons. Cynder could only hope she was wrong and that her life wouldn't be the same as it was for a while back in the Dragon Temple. She had felt so out of place, so guilty and lonely. Even then though, Spyro had tried to stop her from leaving, yes, he was always there for her. Gradually she let her thoughts go into a more positive direction. Maybe she would be given a second chance, if everyone saw how much Spyro stood up for her. The bushes rustled and Spyro's voice reached her.

"Found more than enough of these, so I brought you some too." Spyro said, lowering the left over gems in front of Cynder.

She gratefully drained the energy from them, feeling renewed. "Thanks, Spyro."

They settled the comatose dragon on Spyro's back again and beat their wings to their destination, Warfang. They were making somewhat a slow progress, they had to take small breaks often to keep Spyro from tiring out completely. Also the distance between the volcano and the dragon city seemed a lot longer than they remembered. Slowly, but surely they made their way back to the dragon capital with a bit of complaining from Spyro.

"Come on Spyro, it's not far anymore! Just a little bit longer."

"Far or not, I don't think I can make it there without a long break.."

Cynder grunted disapprovingly, she didn't want to insist on him to keep pushing, but she really would have rather kept flying. Then an idea struck her, perhaps she could assist him with her wind ability. Slowing her pace she moved behind the purple dragon.

"Cynder, what are you.." He didn't get to finish his sentence before he was already rocketing forwards. "Wooohoooo!" He cried gleefully.

Continuing with her wind boosts they reached Warfang in no time at all. Soaring near the great walls of the city, they saw every mole, cheetah and dragon immediately turn their eyes to them. Most of them whistled and cheered at the sight of them, greeting their saviors.

Spyro felt a little embarrassed, not having expected such a commotion from their arrival. Still, he held his head high and flew closer to the main plaza.

Apparently the word of their arrival spread fast, they could see the Guardians, Hunter and even Prowlus already padding to the opening. Descending towards them, Spyro almost flipped over as Sparx flew to his face.

"Where have you been! I was beginning to get worried! Sparx exclaimed, hugging Spyro's snout.

"Sorry Sparx, we stopped for the night. But I'm here now." Spyro replied, happy with his reunion of his foster brother.

The dragon trio landed on the plaza, Spyro strained his muscles as the extra weight of the shadow dragon felt on his limbs and back. Sparx glanced over Spyro, and hovered near Cynder.

"You kept your promise! So I just wanted to.. uhm, you know." Sparx mumbled.

Cynder raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to what?" A mischievous smile rose to her lips.

Sparx scowled at her, for not letting the matter drop. "Thanks.. Thanks for keeping the promise." He muttered, awkwardly buzzing away.

Terrador was the first of the Guardians to speak. "It's good to see that you two have come home safe and sound, we were starting to worry."

"Sorry about that, Terrador. We had to walk our way all the from the world's core first, so we stopped to rest for the night. Also we found him –" Lowering the dragon to the ground. "Inside some strange crystal on our way." Spyro told the group.

The Guardians and cheetahs glanced curiously at the scarred shadow dragon. "

"That is an utmost peculiar, unusual, strange occurrence. We were only aware of two eggs having survived the terrible, appalling night of the raid. It is an intriguing mystery how he had ended up inside a such a crystal, what could quite possibly, likely be similar to the one you are familiar with." Volteer rambled .

"Yes, yes Volteer, we are all interested in the subject of this unknown dragon Spyro brought to us. But where might Ignitus be?" Cyril questioned.

Spyro let his head drop, turning his gaze to the ground. "He.. He didn't.." He tried to speak, but couldn't quite get the words out of his tight feeling throat.

"Ignitus sacrificed himself. He got us through the Belt of Fire with the price of his own life." Cynder stated, turning her head away, unable to keep the Guardian's gaze. Ignitus hadn't been nearly as close to her as he had been to Spyro, but she too was saddened by the fact he wasn't with them now.

Terrador took a deep breath and sighed. "I cannot deny I hadn't thought of the possibility. He didn't say anything, but his demeanor spoke his goodbye."

"It's all my fault.." Spyro muttered.

"Spyro, never blame yourself over someone else's choices. It was his decision, and he was willing to do it. He wouldn't want anyone blaming themselves over his sacrifice, Spyro." Hunter reassured.

"Hunter here is right, young Spyro. We are all sorry to learn these news, but Ignitus's sacrifice wasn't in vain. He died a hero's death, and by doing that you two managed to defeat Malefor." Cyril continued.

Spyro only nodded mutely, not trusting his voice to speak. He could feel tears forming in his eyes. Cynder noticed this and walked up to Spyro, holding her paw on his. He smiled, grateful for her support. They didn't see the weird look Sparx gave them.

"Well, I'm sure you two would like to rest now. We have gotten the two rooms readied for you in the Temple." Terrador spoke. "What should we do with the dragon you brought along?" He questioned, watching everyone present for ideas.

"Perhaps the infirmary would be the best. Perhaps the moles can determine when he will wake up." Cyril offered.

"Yes, that is likely for the best. Now, come along Spyro and Cynder, I shall show the way to your rooms." Terrador said, beckoning them to follow.

Before they got going, Prowlus took a step closer to the purple dragon, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I was wrong about you, young one. I didn't quite believe Hunter, when he told us that you were our last hope. Yet you brought Meadow back to us and fought for our village, even after I had chained you two to the pole. For that, I apologize. And now you have brought down that damned beast, Malefor. I owe you a thank you."

Spyro was a dumbfounded for a while. His eyes flashing a glint of disbelief, Cynder sharing his expression. Never had they expected to hear that from the proud Chief.

"It's okay, you were only trying to protect your village from outside threats. We forgive you for that."

Prowlus nodded stiffly, and walked away. A grin tugged to the purple dragon's lips, grateful for those words. Hunter returned his smile, also amused. Spyro gestured Cynder to follow, and they followed Terrador to the Temple.

They got rooms next to each other, on the highest floor. They were awed, not only was there a good view over the city, but the size of their rooms was amazing. They were both similar, both had a small lobby which was a bit higher than the main part of the room. Neatly crafted and polished small, but wide stairs took them down to the main room, which was divided into different sections by curtains hanging on the ceiling. The rooms had a small library on one section, a big pile of cushions on another – a comfortable looking bedroom. There was a sort of guest room as well, it was smaller but still comfy looking. A medium sized door was opened to the balcony. The door only had wooden edges and it was mainly made of glass. Spyro made a mental note to try not to walk face first into that.

At that moment, both young dragons sat in the middle of Spyro's room, still amazed by the sheer luxury of their rooms.

"About time we get treaded like this!" Sparx exclaimed cheerily.

"This is.. a little too much, don't you think?" Spyro thought.

"Nonsense, this is the least they could do for us!"

Cynder snorted and rolled her eyes. "You know for a little guy, you sure do need a big room to fit your ego in."

"Well, y' know this is nothing yet. We were treaded as gods among the Llama people!"

The black dragoness eyed Spyro. "They did that?"

"Yeah," Spyro chuckled drowsily, before yawning.

"Guess even heroes need sleep, by the looks of you, more than most too." Cynder smirked.

The purple dragon smiled at her, jerking his head towards the pile of cushions, beckoning her to follow. Sparx looked more or less disgusted as they settled down, Spyro's wing draping over Cynder's back.

"She has her own room, so why is she sleeping in ours?" Sparx muttered.

His foster brother smiled at him sheepishly. "We uhm.. will be sharing a room, at least for some time. Besides, there is plenty of room for all of us." Spyro answered, feeling his cheeks warm up.

Sparx looked at them, bemused. "Wait, you two aren't..?"

The young dragons glanced at each other, content smiles reaching their lips. Cynder settled closer to her companion, laying her head on his shoulder.

The dragonfly threw his hands in the air. "Oh, come on. Her? Really now bro.."

Cynder poked her tongue out at Sparx, and he glared back. He sighed, and hovered away to find his own sleeping place.

Closing their eyes, the young saviors let the sleep claim them, drifting to the realm of dreams.


	2. Who am I?

A fast, constant flow of memories and thoughts passed through the young dragon's head. He couldn't make out any of it; it was as if everything he had ever known had all blended together, leaving nothing more than a very confusing haziness.

There was one clear memory, though: a black dragoness with a golden-yellow underbelly lying in his paws. Her throat had a deep cut and the blood was streaming away from her. He was holding her as she tried to make out her final words. Her eyes tried to stay focused, but they started to become more and more hollow.

It was raining heavily, the dark clouds forming a thick black blanket over the sky. The only light that provided vision was that of the constant lightning, lighting up the skies with a fierce crackle.

The fatally injured dragoness struggled to talk, her lips moving back and forth. "M-Mirage, y-you must continue w-without me... Promise me...that you will end this..." Her voice was dry and quiet.

Tears streamed from his eyes and he felt a cold grasp reaching for his heart. "I promise... I'm so sorry..." He squeezed the dragoness's paw.

"Don't be... You did…everything you could... " She paused and coughed blood to the ground. "I'm proud of you... I know you can…do this." Her beautiful green eyes could be only partially seen, as her eyelids were half closed.

Mirage watched a final smile tug at her lips as her eyes closed and she fell limp in his paws. Sorrow washed over him, and he screwed his eyes shut tightly.

Waking up sweaty and disoriented, the shadow dragon panted, trying to make out his surroundings. There were beds set around him, some empty, some with other dragons lying on them. He had his own space in this weird place he had never been in – seemingly an infirmary.

He shook his head, trying to remember wherever he had been before he'd gotten there – well, more like trying to remember anything at all. Right now, it felt like everything he remembered of himself, or anything at all, was from that dream he'd had. Who was the dragoness in his dream? Who was he? Mirage seemed to be his name, and that was all he knew.

His eyes stared into nothingness as he was left struggling to understand his current situation. He was in an infirmary, but he didn't even know what city or village he was in. His mind was blank, excluding the dream or memory of a dragoness who'd died in his paws. He had promised her to end something, but he had no idea what it was.

He looked at himself, examining his own body, as even that was unfamiliar to him. He had deadly metallic blades on his wings and tail, and several scars on his body – the most outstanding ones crossed his snout. He had red patterns on his pitch-black wings.

 _Why have I been brought to an infirmary, and by_ _whom...?_

He felt restless just lying there in an unknown place, so he decided to go explore the building and the city around it. He realized that the infirmary staff would likely notice his absence sooner or later. Luckily, he found ink and paper on table on a corner of the room, which he used to leave a note. When finished, he quietly sneaked out of the door.

A mole passed in the hallway further away as he stepped out of the room he had been sleeping in, and he vanished into shadows in almost the blink of an eye. The nurse mole didn't see him and continued walking away. Mirage got out of his concealing shadows and paused for a moment.

Why had he hidden himself from a mole? And what intrigued him more was that he had done it so naturally that he hadn't even acknowledged doing it.

"Well, at least I'm good at staying out of sight, apparently," he stated to himself with a dry sneer.

Pushing the thought away, he continued on his way. At the end of the hallway, there was a compilation of signs. His eyes searched for the particular sign that said 'exit,' ignoring all the others. Finding his direction out, he followed the route the signs pointed him on. He reached the door and tried to push it open.

"Darn!" he cursed, realizing they must have locked it for the night, granting only people with keys free passage.

He didn't want to smash through it, either; he didn't even know if he had already caused some trouble in the city, or if he had just gotten there. In any case, he didn't want to give a bad impression of himself.

Sighing, he leaned forward, his forehead pressing on the glassy door. He had really wanted to explore the city. He certainly didn't want to stay lying on an infirmary bed. He felt way too restless for that.

Then, suddenly, something happened. Some instinct just kicked in, his body became a blur of black scales, and he slipped through the door like it hadn't been there in the first place.

He stared dumbly at the door before turning his gaze to his body as writhing shadows dissolved away from him. "Alright…" he mumbled, raising an eyebrow at his own actions.

 _How did I do that? I hardly remember how to control my element, but I still got through a door like it was nothin_ _g..._

Mirage tried to focus, to dig up something from his mind that would give clues about his past. His mind wasn't all blank: miniscule fragments of distant memories were there. He could practically feel them there, but he couldn't bring them into focus. It was as if they were blocked from him – sealed away.

Huffing in irritation, he returned to his original task: exploring the city. From the street he was on at that moment, he couldn't see much more than a few small shops: one for armor, the second for jewellery, and the third for basic furniture.

Deciding it would take far too long to walk through the city, he took flight. He beat his wings to gain enough altitude to see the whole city. Once he oversaw the city, he realized how huge it was. The ocean of buildings stretched everywhere from where he was; high walls could be seen surrounding the buildings within, blocking unwanted access to the city.

 _A city this_ _big..._ _Is this the dragon capital?_

Determined to find out, he turned his gaze to a big temple not so far away. Surely he would find his answer there, as it appeared to be the center of the city. Flapping his wings, he darted towards it.

Only the moons and occasional torches gave light to the quiet city. The horizon was just barely painted with the colors of the fading sun, so it couldn't have been long after the sun had set.

Mirage would have been practically invisible if the moonlight hadn't been so bright. His black scales glimmered faintly in the sky.

After a short flight, he reached the great temple, which stood out from the smaller buildings around it. It was probably for the leaders of the city and for official meetings.

Gliding down and circling the building, he noticed that it apparently had a large amount of rooms with balconies, which were uninhabited.

"Strange how there are so many rooms, yet so few of them actually in use. Has the amount of dragons living here gotten low?" he wondered aloud.

He descended in front of the main door and proceeded to walk in. Two moles were guarding the entrance, but they let him pass without a word. Maybe the moles knew him, or had at least heard of him?

The interior was quite neat; golden trims marked the pillars in the room, which was separated to smaller corridors around the lobby. Some small trees and flowers in the room added to its already nice atmosphere. There was an impressive painting on an open wall. It was a very detailed picture of the Dragon City, with a mole and a dragon standing side by side at the front.

Beneath the painting, he spotted a big notice-board filled with all kinds of news about a won war. What war? Curiously, Mirage strode closer and started going through all the news articles. There were dozens of them, but some stood out, which he picked to read.

'The war is over; Malefor has fallen!' one article stated, and Mirage paused for a while. That name was familiar; he had heard it somewhere before. He was sure of it. A faint spark of hatred connected with a fuzzy memory of that name.

Mirage cleared his thoughts and kept reading.

"Dragons unite! The population of Warfang about to rise?"

"The purple savior returns with Cynder and an unknown dragon!"

Warfang and the purple savior? Mirage tore the articles from the notice-board to study them better.

'The Earth Guardian, Terrador, revealed that the Guardians might be organizing search parties to inform the outlying regions about the recent defeat of Malefor. He suggested that the search parties would try to convince other dragon populations to move to our great Dragon City…'

The text went on, but Mirage had gotten the answer he wanted. Warfang. So, he was in the dragon capital.

He got the feeling that he'd been there before, in Warfang. He couldn't be absolutely sure, but the name 'Warfang,' the painting, and the temple felt relevant to something he should remember.

Shrugging, he started studying the article about this 'purple savior.'

'Just hours ago, Spyro returned with Cynder and an unknown shadow dragon. Not much detail is known about the final battle against Malefor, but the Guardians have revealed that, on their way home, Spyro and Cynder discovered another dragon of their age. It's remarkable that there are still other young dragons around, when so many were lost on the night of the raid…'

 _An unknown shadow dragon, huh? That could be me... This 'Spyro' will know, so I've only got to find him._

Mirage headed back out, but decided that he should wait until morning before trying to find the purple dragon.

 _The articles called him a hero, so he will likely be the center of attention for a while. I should have no trouble finding him,_ he thought with amusement.

He walked out of the front door, his eyes out of focus because of all the new information that now filled his mind. Even without his memories intact, the déjà-vu he had felt gave him hope of getting them back. Without memories, everything felt dull and empty – meaningless.

What could have happened to him to make him not remember anything? Endless theories and thoughts ran through his head, predicting a restless night. He couldn't shift his mind from the subject, but decided that he needed a place to stay for the night.

He beat his wings and flew towards the empty rooms in the temple. At least, he hoped that he wouldn't wake someone if it turned out the room was inhabited after all.

He fancied the thought of a room on the top floor, so that was what he went for. He descended soundlessly on the balcony and stepped in. The room was luxurious and decently sized. Admiring it, his gaze suddenly met something he had not expected to see.

Two dragons. Two young dragons, curled up together, sound asleep. Even in the dark, he could still tell their colors.

 _So, this is the purple dragon... For a hero, he certainly doesn't seem alert in the least. He looks like he could sleep through an ape attack,_ Mirage thought.

The purple dragon had turned on his back, each limb sprawled in different directions. Somehow, though, the black dragoness beside him had found a suitable position on the cushion, even with Spyro covering most of it.

The moment Mirage looked at Cynder, he realized she was similar to the dragoness in the dream he'd had. Come to think of it, his own body structure was comparable to both of theirs, and their horns were very much alike.

It wasn't anything out of the ordinary – shadow dragons could be very similar-looking – but, for a moment, Mirage couldn't stop thinking about the resemblance between them. After all, they did have very similar horns, the same element, and comparable body structure.

Cynder moved and hummed in her sleep, which startled him, disrupting his train of thought. He reacted quickly, backing up to the balcony as fast as he could without making a sound. When he reached it, he spared a glance over his shoulder and jumped off. He didn't dare to flap his wings, because of the noise it would make. Instead, he glided to another room's balcony, which was one floor down.

This time, he found no one in the room and let out a relieved sigh. The room itself was smaller, but it would do just fine for the night. His pulse was still higher than usual and his head was buzzing with thoughts and questions of his memory loss.

He didn't expect sleep to come easily that night, but he still settled down and made himself comfortable on a pile of blankets.

* * *

Morning seemed to come a lot faster than Cynder would have liked. She felt like she hadn't gotten enough sleep yet, or had slept restlessly. Her back was aching a little, too. She inwardly frowned, and opened her eyes.

She was only partly on the cushion now, and had twisted into a weird position to maintain even that. Spyro had conquered the cushion as his own, which had resulted in Cynder having a very hard time to hang onto it.

"Really, Spyro? I'll get you for that," Cynder said to herself, half amused, half annoyed. She stretched herself so that her back relaxed a bit and the ache faded.

The purple dragon hadn't had a problem sleeping, obviously. He was still covering nearly the entire bed of cushions with an innocent smile.

Cynder noticed that Sparx was still asleep as well, which didn't come as a surprise to her. She sat still for a minute, wondering how she would deal with the cushion conqueror. She wasn't particularly annoyed with him, but she wanted to give him a reminder that he wasn't the only one trying to find space on the bed.

Spyro's muzzle twitched a little and he rubbed it with his forepaw and settled again. This made Cynder smile. That smile turned into a more devious one when she thought of an idea of how to wake the purple dragon.

She grinned widely as she took a step closer to her companion and lowered her muzzle right beside his. She leaned as close as she could, then let out a weak fear scream directed right for Spyro.

He jumped instantly, even with his eyes still closed, and collided with the wall next to them. He had pulled the cushions with him and was now lying underneath them with only his hind legs and tail visible.

Cynder laughed shamelessly at her poor victim, who was now picking himself up.

"Good morning to you too," Spyro grunted. "What was that for?" He asked, not less than pleased.

"For pushing me off the cushions! I slept mostly on the ground while you were spread out all over it!" she replied with a faked glare of irritation.

Spyro was surprised by the retort, but smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Cynder chuckled; she had gotten just the reaction she wanted. "No need to be. I enjoyed my revenge."

Spyro opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get the chance. A loud groan sounded on the other side of the room.

"What's all the racket here? I was having the best dream in ages!" Sparx complained grumpily.

Apparently her fear scream hadn't even reached Sparx, because it had been directed at Spyro, or he really had been deep in the dream world, Cynder thought.

Spyro shook his head. "Never mind. Should we go and get some breakfast?"

His foster brother's mood changed from grumpy to giddy in a second. "You bet! I'm starved."

Cynder rolled her eyes. "Boys and their stomachs," she thought aloud.

The purple dragon and the dragonfly either didn't hear her or didn't pay any mind to it, as they only gestured for her to follow them.

They had walked down the corridors to the ground level and were stepping outside when Spyro stopped.

"What is it?" Cynder asked.

"I just realized I have no idea where I'm going," Spyro admitted.

Cynder would have chuckled at his expression, but realized that she didn't know either. They hadn't actually asked anyone the day before where the dining hall was.

Sparx had continued on his way and was looking back at them. "What's the hold up?"

"We just realized that we don't know where the dining hall is."

"Duh. That's why I'm here!" Sparx tapped his chest with a thumb. This drew two questioning frowns from the dragons. "What? You didn't think I spent yesterday without eating anything, did you?" Sparx asked and motioned with his hands.

Neither Spyro nor Cynder had expected Sparx to come in handy like this, but both just shrugged and told him to lead the way.

The walk was a bit slower than they would have liked. The dining hall was located in the most crowded part of Warfang, and others were going for breakfast as well. And since the two of them were the most well-known dragons in Warfang, they drew a lot of attention.

Spyro didn't notice how the expressions of the citizens changed when they looked at Cynder. She didn't say anything, but obviously many were still holding a grudge against her. It was to be expected, in her opinion, but she had to put effort into ignoring the looks she was receiving.

This made her uneasy, but, luckily, it didn't take them longer than twenty minutes to reach the hall. Most others had already found their seats and had food in front of them, so there wasn't a long queue.

When they reached the end of the queue, they had to decide between the smorgasbord – with all kinds of fruits, soups and other sorts of breakfast items – and ordering something specific.

They chose to take the normal breakfast table choice, because neither of them knew specifically what they would have liked to have. Sparx, on the other hand, apparently had his own goods available to him. The moles had actually made sure that the small dragonfly would have a large selection of foods for him.

That was a slight surprise for the dragons, but they shrugged it off and went on to grab their breakfast. Soon enough, they were seated around a small wooden table, small-talking and enjoying the food. Once finished, Spyro came up with a suggestion.

"Do you think we should go and find the Guardians? I'd like to catch up on what's going to be happening now that it's peace time."

"Mhmm. I was thinking of taking a walk around the city, but I agree with you; I'd also like that," Cynder replied thoughtfully.

Sparx silently agreed and followed them, only to go through the same scenario as with finding the dining hall, and ended up being the one to guide them to the Guardians.

All of the Guardians had their own office-like rooms in the same Temple where Spyro and Cynder were staying. Only, they could be found on the other side of the building, and different stairs had to be taken to reach them.

At the end of a certain corridor, a constant chattering could be heard, indicating that they were close. Rounding a corner, they found the Guardians gathered in one room, which was decorated how one would expect a Guardian's office to look. A big, strong, wooden desk was placed in front of a window, with piles of papers upon it. There were multiple bookshelves completely filled with books, some armor placed on their stands, and a few large maps covering the walls.

The room carried a comfortable, warm atmosphere, which they had expected, but what they had not expected to see was the black dragon in middle of it.

It was the very same dragon who had been unconscious since they'd found him, only now he appeared to be wide awake.

His eyes immediately spotted the purple dragon and his companions, and an intrigued smirk rose to his face. He, like every dragon in the realms, knew that purple dragons possessed amazing strength and power. Meeting one was exciting for him. While he didn't actually remember anything of his actions, or his life before, this was one of the things that he just _knew._

Whatever Volteer had been rambling on about went unregistered for the shadow dragon and he motioned his head towards the door, causing the Guardians to turn around.

"Ah, good morning, Spyro, Cynder. I'm glad you could join us," Terrador greeted them, and then noticed how the trio of young dragons all exchanged eye-contact. "Go on, introduce each other."

Spyro carried on the order. "Nice to meet you. My name is Spyro, and this is Cynder and Sparx." He pointed with a paw and the two greeted the black dragon.

"The pleasure is mine. I am Mirage," he said with a lot more confidence than what he'd had during the night. He remembered just as little, but at least his own name sounded right to him now.

Having conversations with others also seemed to bring out his personality, which he found enjoyed. He didn't really know who he was, but the surfacing emotions spoke of pride and charisma.

"We're glad you could join us, Spyro and Cynder. You see, you need to fill Mirage in on some details about where you found him," Cyril announced.

Spyro arched a brow. Didn't he know where he'd been? He and Cynder shared a quick, puzzled look before settling down closer to the group.

Mirage didn't know whether the news he was about to hear would surface any memories or not, but he wanted know _something_ to fill the blankness of his mind.

He drifted off for a few seconds, but shook it off when he realized that the purple dragon in front of him was waiting for him to elaborate on what he wanted to know.

"Anything you can tell me is useful, really," he said simply, shrugging.

Spyro and Cynder took it in turns to tell about their journey from the world's core to the surface. They tried to add every detail, but there weren't many. They both expected that the crystal they had found him in would be something he remembered, but Mirage only shook his head.

At this point, Sparx was growing a little tired of the situation and voiced a question with a hint of frustration. "None of this sounds familiar to you? Then what _do_ you remember?"

Mirage only gave him an empty look and answered, "Nothing. Anything before last night is a mystery to me."

Everyone in the room gave him a stare and a moment of silence followed. Terrador was the one to break it. "You told us that you didn't know how you got to the city, but now you're telling us that you don't remember anything at all?" he asked with his deep voice, arching a brow.

It wasn't just the Earth Guardian; everyone seemed to be thinking the same question – Why?

"That's right. I don't even know for sure how old I am," Mirage replied with a serious glint in his eyes.

The Guardians shared glances, and Cyril continued. "That is rather unsettling. A dragon's memory cannot be completely erased by any sort of physical injury."

Mirage couldn't have known how he had lost his memory, but the Ice Guardian's words gave away the only option. None of the three young dragons had known this; they all shared the same uneasy look, but Mirage also felt a spark of anger.

 _Who could have done this to me? And why?_ He glared at the floor, hardly aware of the sympathetic looks he was getting from Cynder and Spyro. His talons scratched the stone floor hard and he stood up.

"I need some time alone. Thanks for filling me in, by the way," Mirage said and strode out of the room.

Again the room fell silent, and Cynder thought of some of her own theories for what could leave a dragon like that. Instantly, her thoughts fell somewhere where she didn't want them digging.

During her time under Malefor's control, she had been thinking clearly of reaching her goal of setting him free. But after Spyro had rescued her and broken the spell, everything had been left a little unclear to her. She remembered fragments of her time as the Dark Master's slave, but not in detail. She hadn't wanted to think about it in the first place, but the awful experience had messed with her head, so maybe something similar had happened to the other shadow dragon...

Spyro's voice brought her back to the present. "What do you think has happened to him?"

"Some rather odious, dire events, most presumably. To take away someone's memory, you'd need powerful dark magic. It just might be better for the young fellow not to remember such potentially traumatizing matters," Volteer answered, partially missing the usual exuberance in his voice.

"We can't tell for sure. We do not know where he is from, but probably nowhere near here. Every egg in the Temple was smashed on the night of the raid, except Spyro's and Cynder's. Not every dragon in the realms respected the tradition, though, which would indicate that he may be from some dragon population we haven't been in contact with," Cyril stated.

The conversation went on for some time, but before Spyro and Cynder left, the Guardians filled them in on a different subject.

"I'm sure you have noticed how our population in the city at the moment is not very large. Before the war broke out and Warfang, along with its surrounding areas, became the main area of the warfare, we sent almost every dragoness and youngling to find safety elsewhere. We also requested help from other dragon cities around the Realms [remove: to come join us], but some of them went missing," Terrador explained.

Spyro nodded. "So, do you need us for something? I would be happy to help out."

"Me too." Cynder smiled at her purple friend.

"We are glad that you are offering your help. We need to organize groups to try and find them, and possibly even new dragons for our city. We can't keep a city this big running for long if we lack the population," the Earth Guardian told them, grateful for their support.

"In any case, there is no need for us to discuss this further today. We shall arrange this tomorrow morning. You can have the rest of the day for yourselves," he concluded.

"Thanks, Terrador, we'll be here," Spyro replied and turned to leave with his companions.

They walked out of the Temple and decided to go on exploring the city. It was quite damaged after the Golem's rampage, but some places were left untouched. As they walked around, they noticed that some dragons, but mainly moles, had already begun reconstructing the broken buildings. A lot of work had to be done to restore the former glory of the city, but it would be restored in time.

Their walk was quite peaceful, despite the looks they were drawing. Sparx often waved to strangers, like he was the center of all attention. The only thing that the golden dragonfly complained about was the fact that his foster brother had just gotten to settle down in the city and was already looking for a new adventure.

Spyro wasn't completely back to his full strength yet, after the events that had recently taken place, but he brushed it off and didn't think much of it. He was quite full of positive energy after seeing the city being rebuilt, and everyone helping each other and not having to worry about their safety.

And, obviously, the black dragoness whose back was covered by his wing also brightened his mood. They had been walking like that for the most part, which didn't sit well with Sparx – and he made that quite clear with his expressions.

They were passing a large building, which had a majestic appearance with big marble columns decorating its entrance. They decided to check it out and were surprised to see that it was practically a huge training area. It had multiple rings where one could summon dummies of all sorts. Currently, only a few of them were in use, but different sorts of dummies were on display in the free areas. Apes, dragons, grublins, death hounds and dreadwings could be chosen for combat training.

Spyro watched someone summon a couple of death hounds and dreadwings, and a stream of images came flooding into his mind like a film. So many times he had crossed paths with those creatures during his earlier years, but it all felt like it had happened just yesterday. And, in reality, those times were not far off for he, Cynder or Sparx, as they had been frozen within the time crystal for three years.

The creatures were vicious and downright ugly, but his past adventures had left him with a lot of experience on how to deal with them. It seemed weird to see people training in the safety of dummy rings when he had learned most of his fighting skills in battle with the real creatures.

Cynder nudged his shoulder abruptly and pointed a talon to the ring furthest away from them. Mirage was engaged in combat with three medium-sized apes. His face was masked of emotion and his body posture didn't betray his thoughts, either.

For now, he was on the defensive , dodging the dummies' attacks and not retaliating back. His movements were efficient and nimble, even if his landings were a little hard after jumps.

Spyro and Cynder walked up next to the ring, a little fascinated to see how he'd fare against the opponents. Mirage caught sight of them from the corner of his eye, but pretended not to acknowledge them yet.

He didn't bother to dodge a swing of a club; he blocked it with his paw and smacked the ape in the face with his left wing. It grunted and staggered back. The two other apes closed in on him from behind, but he jumped away from them, performing a shadowy pirouette. He was showing off intentionally, while testing his capabilities.

Cynder took note of the move, intrigued to see another shadow dragon in action. Mirage felt a hint of pride surface, even if he hadn't really been even trying yet. He didn't know why, but he felt like he needed to impress his audience.

He dodged two sword-swings directed at his neck, ducking below them, and gave a hard smack with his tail to the face of one of his assailants. As it staggered back, he decided to cripple the other two.

Summoning his elemental attacks, he disappeared from sight, only to rise up directly under one of the unfortunate apes. He clawed the whole length of its body and immediately continued his attack toward the last unharmed one.

He decided to really test out his elemental strength, so he positioned the apes in a line. Two of the dummies were still sluggishly picking themselves up from the floor, so he brought the last one down by ramming his head under its chin.

He jumped away from them and started gathering up all the energy he could manage. He was preparing more than enough energy to end the training session, but he wanted to see how far he could go, while giving his audience a good show.

He was gathering energy for a fury, but it wasn't a normal shadow fury. He was going to unleash all of the energy in the form of a beam. He didn't even notice Spyro and Cynder backing away. When he was practically casting a dark glow from his body, he cracked his jaws open.

The beam looked like convexity, except for its black color. It completely disintegrated the apes, but it didn't stop there. The wave of energy bore into the wall of the hall and went straight through it. It hit the wall of the building behind it before Mirage even realized what was happening. He let the beam fade and was left to stare at the outcome.

He'd had no idea he was capable of such power. Shadow energy wasn't even that destructive, right? More than anything, he felt very stupid. This was most definitely not the outcome he had been going for.

He met Spyro's and Cynder's eyes for a moment and saw the wariness radiating from their expressions and postures.

What a way to make new acquaintances, Mirage thought to himself.

* * *

 **This took a long while for me to upload, but here it is! In case anyone is reading this.**

 **A big thanks for Riverstyxx for proof-reading this one for me!**


	3. Free Time

Mirage had been avoiding everyone after the event in the training arena. The young black dragon had left Warfang and was sitting in the peace of nature at a nearby forest.

He was gazing up to the sky, thinking back on what he had done. The thoughts left him feeling uncomfortable and ashamed, but a little fascinated as well.

The amount of energy he had managed to build up in the form of elemental magic was enormous for someone his age. The attack had drained him, but not as much as he would have thought.

He lifted a paw up and formed shadowy wisps around it. He had no reasoning for it; he just wanted to observe the energy he possessed. His element felt powerful, warm and familiar. In his mind's eye, he saw dozens of scenarios of him using it, which might have happened before.

Then he saw the dragoness from his dream, trying to reach out to him. His eyes widened, even when they were out of focus. In this imaginary moment, he felt very much drawn to the dragoness and tried to approach her. But no matter how much he walked, he never got any closer.

All of a sudden, a figure appeared behind the dragoness and he saw the fearful expression that crept onto her face.

Malicious orange eyes glimmered in the darkness behind her, but they weren't glaring at her—they were focused on him. Mirage couldn't make out any other features of the figure, but his eyes gave away an evil smirk.

Without warning, the glowing eyes narrowed and large claw-shaped shadows grasped the helpless dragoness. She screamed out Mirage's name before she was completely engulfed by the shadowy claws.

Mirage jolted so hard that he fell onto his back from his previous sitting position. He felt cold sweat all over his body. His heartbeat had picked up its pace, just like his breathing.

He closed his eyes and drew in a few long breaths, calming himself. He replayed the vision in his head, trying to focus on every small detail. The unknown dragoness had to have been a friend of his before he'd lost his memory. Or maybe more than that; in the vision, she'd felt very close to him.

 _Why can't I remember_ _…?_

He had to find out who the dragoness was. Maybe that would be the first step towards getting his memory back. He decided that he should probably check out the birth records in the archives of Warfang's library.

Mirage didn't at all fancy the idea of going back to the city—not yet, at least. He knew for certain that he would have to answer a lot of questions and explain his actions to the Guardians. On top of that, he would probably be drawing a lot of attention from the citizens who had witnessed the event.

In the end, there was nothing else for him to do. He couldn't just keep avoiding the inevitable, even if he very much wanted to. Groaning, he got up and spread his wings. Taking flight, he began his trip back to Warfang at a sluggish pace.

 _I suppose I should pay a visit to the Guardians first. What a chat that will be…_

* * *

Spyro and Cynder had been busy helping a bunch of moles to clean up some of the rubble left around the arena, until Sparx had insisted they should actually do something relaxing instead of constantly helping.

Later on, the trio found themselves in the beautiful gardens of Warfang. It was almost completely surrounded by hedges, which were neatly cut into shape. Obviously the moles who kept the gardens in good shape had gone to a lot of trouble. They had gone as far as cutting a mole-shaped bush in the center of the garden. Pretty pink cherry trees were scattered around a medium-sized pond, which was to the side of the garden. The pond was big enough to fit a few fully grown dragons in it, but it was too shallow for them to actually swim there. The sunshine reflected brightly from its surface.

The atmosphere there was calming and relaxing, which was amplified by the warm sunshine. The air was warm, but a gentle breeze slightly cooled the air. It was nearly cloudless, meaning it would be a pretty day to stay outdoors.

Spyro was lying under a large tree nearby the pond, Cynder by his side, which had made Sparx pull a disgusted face for a while. Eventually, though, they had all settled down and were discussing all sorts of things that passed their minds. A certain topic stood out from the rest.

"How do you think Mom and Dad are doing?" Sparx asked.

The unexpected question caught Spyro a bit off guard. He didn't have a reply ready, because he hadn't been thinking of his home or parents for a long time. He had been too caught up with everything that had happened since he'd left home.

"I don't know. They probably miss us a lot," he eventually replied in a distant tone.

Cynder eyed Spyro, noticing his thoughtful expression. During the war, they'd had a brief conversation about where Spyro's home was. She remembered vividly how he had told her that he had been raised by dragonflies, which had sounded so weird to her that she couldn't keep from laughing. It hadn't occurred to her that he would probably miss his parents a lot, even though they were clearly not his real biological parents.

"Well, we are going to be leaving Warfang for a while in search of other dragon populations, so maybe you could pay a visit to your parents then? I haven't met them either, so I'd like to get a chance for that," Cynder offered with a smile, meeting Spyro's eyes.

The purple dragon smiled back at his companion for her thoughtfulness. "I would certainly like to see them again. It's been a good while since I left home," Spyro said, reminiscing of the day he'd left to find out who and what he was.

"Yeah, it's been some time. It's been… Wait. Three whole years?! Wow. Time really flies when you're fighting off weird creatures and getting stuck in a freaky time crystal," Sparx exclaimed.

Spyro frowned. He hadn't really been thinking of how much time they'd spent inside the crystal, either. For them, it could have only been a minute, but, for everyone else, it had been a lot longer. Realizing that only made him more certain that his foster parents really would be missing them, especially after not hearing a word about them for so long.

Cynder kindly nudged him. "I'm sure you will be seeing them in no time," she comforted softly.

Spyro relaxed a little and smiled at the black dragoness. Her positive attitude brightened up his mood as well, and, after all, a few extra days wouldn't hold much weight after three whole years.

Their conversation had just died out and they had gotten back to just enjoying the sunlight when Spyro spotted a black dragon flying towards the temple. He squinted to get a better look at the dragon, which left no doubt that it was Mirage.

Sparx also watched him slowly descending. "He's going to be in trouble now. What's up with that guy, anyways? Blowing holes in buildings ain't cool."

"I don't know, but he did look like he didn't mean to do it," Spyro thought aloud. He was genuinely impressed by the power he'd seen, but it had also gotten him worried. He had imagined himself and Cynder as the strongest dragons of their age, but Mirage hadn't come far from them.

 _Cynder is a lot stronger because of what Malefor did to her and I am naturally like this. So why is he like that?_

* * *

Mirage had landed in front of the large temple and was now walking up the stairs towards the Guardians' office quarters.

 _Hell of a situation I got myself into… I overheard something about search parties being sent out of Warfang… Maybe I could make up for this by joining them?_

He cornered the last corridor and stopped in front of the door. He took a deep breath and shook his head. There was no better option than going through the inevitable conversation, which would likely involve _a lot_ of lecturing from the Guardians.

Slowly, he pushed the wooden door open. He was hoping that the Ice Guardian wouldn't be there at the moment; that was the last thing he wanted right now. His pompous personality would make this even more annoying.

To his luck, only Terrador was in the room. He was reading through some pieces of paper, but lifted his gaze to see who was at the door. His face turned a bit harsh when he saw who it was.

Mirage had expected as such. "I expect you to know why I'm here."

The Earth Guardian spoke with a calm but judging voice. "Indeed. You had better explain yourself. Your actions shocked many and someone could have been badly injured."

The young shadow dragon held the stern eye contact, even if it was a little unnerving in the current situation. "I'm aware of that. I can assure you that it wasn't my intention."

The large green dragon gestured for him to continue. "Go on; we can't leave such a matter without an explanation. Do you even know what sort of consequences actions like yours could have? We could have you locked up for a reasonable amount of time for destruction of public buildings! But I am willing to listen, because I do trust your word when you say that this was not an intentional act." His booming voice carried a strong feeling of authority.

For a moment, Mirage hesitated, but he composed himself quickly and thought of a reasonable response that wouldn't get him into further trouble. "I needed to let out some steam. As you know, I don't have my memory intact. Not knowing who I am gets very frustrating."

"That is understandable. But is that all there is to it? I require a detailed answer so I can assure the citizens that the newcomer in our city isn't a threat."

"Well, I did want to test my strength, to see how far I could go. Guess that wasn't a very good idea."

"Most definitely not. You shouldn't be going all out on elemental attacks when you are close to other people. You didn't do this it to impress Spyro and Cynder, did you?"

"Right, I will keep that in mind from now on. And no, it was merely a test of power that went wrong."

"Good, that would have been foolish. Young dragons have a bad habit of trying to impress others for different reasons. Alright, I believe you. But if you do commit something like this again, there will be consequences," Terrador warned.

Mirage had been expecting a far worse outcome. He had been certain that he would be punished in some way.

"Understood. As a sign of good faith, I would like to join the search parties that are being sent out." His goal wasn't to gain the Guardians' trust, but rather to get to explore the world.

Terrador raised an eyebrow. "You've heard about that? I don't think that would be the best idea right now. Citizens will be suspicious of you for a while because of what happened."

"I know that, but this is my way of making up for the damage I caused," he said with a confident voice. "I'm sure you could have Spyro and Cynder watch me, if it's up to that." He didn't actually think about how that would work for him; he just quickly thought of a way to get the Earth Guardian to agree.

And it worked. "Well, alright. We do need more recruits to form the groups, so you can come. We will be dividing everyone into groups tomorrow morning."

"Alright, great. Thanks, I'll be here," Mirage said with a hint of gratitude, but mainly relief.

He turned to leave, but before he got through the door, Terrador called out to him.

"One more thing. Where did you stay the last night? We had placed you at the infirmary, but obviously you left during the night."

"Uhm. I was staying on an empty room, one floor below Spyro's room."

Mirage realized that he probably shouldn't have said that, as no one had actually told him where Spyro's room was. For a moment, he was sure that the Earth Guardian was going to question him on that, but apparently he paid no mind to it.

"Would you like to have that room as your own? We have a lot of empty rooms on that floor, so you could have it."

Mirage didn't expect a generous offer such as this, but he was glad to accept it. "Sure, I'd like that."

Sensing that the conversation was over, he took his leave and started heading for the library.

* * *

Terrador had passed on the word that Mirage would be joining in the search; Spyro and his companions hadn't even left the gardens yet when the mole messenger spotted them.

The purple dragon had his eyes closed and was contently resting a wing over Cynder's back. Sparx had found his spot between his brother's horns.

"Excuse me, Master Spyro," a mole voice called out no further than a meter away from them, which startled the sleepy dragon.

Spyro quickly lifted his head off his paws and completely forgot the dragonfly on top of his head. Sparx didn't snap out of his daydream before he hit the ground with a quiet thump.

"What the heck?!" he cursed.

Spyro had his eyes fixed on the mole, who was standing right in front of him in a military posture. He found himself sort of dumbfounded.

 _Did he call me 'Master' Spyro…?_

In his daze, he forgot the mole was still awkwardly awaiting a reply, so Cynder was the one to speak.

"What is it?" she asked simply.

"Master Terrador ordered me to inform the two of you that the newcomer, Mirage, will be joining your search group."

Spyro and Cynder raised their eyebrows in surprise, but neither of them really understood why they would need to be informed of it.

"But how does that concern us?" Cynder continued.

"Master Terrador wishes you to watch him during the trip, just in case," the mole replied.

In a way, it made sense to them. Mirage would probably rather have two dragons his age watching him than a bunch of grumpy guards.

 _Having him under surveillance seems a little exaggerated, though. He was clearly ashamed of the damage he caused,_ Spyro thought.

He looked at Cynder, as if to try to read her thoughts about it, but she merely shrugged.

"Alright. We can watch him," Spyro stated.

The mole nodded politely and left.

"So what now?" Cynder asked.

"I think dinner would be great now," Spyro replied, rubbing his belly.

Cynder lifted a paw to her face and chuckled. "Really, Spyro? My point was, how are we going to proceed with this?" she continued, still giggling lightly.

Spyro gave her a sheepish smile. "Oh, right. I don't know, maybe we should find him."

"After dinner, that is," Sparx quipped.

The purple dragon turned his eyes to Cynder, who lifted her paws up and waved them helplessly. "Alright, alright. We'll get something to eat first."

* * *

 _How can this be? There are no birth records or anything of the sort that would match my appearance or age._

Mirage had been going through all kinds of records that would match him, but so far he'd had no luck. He had found out that only two eggs had survived the night of the raid, which seemed utterly weird to him. How could there be only two survivors if he was about the same age as them?

Even if he happened to be a little older than them, there was still no evidence of that. There was nothing to suggest that he had been born anywhere near—at least, no proof of that seemed to exist.

Frustrated, he smacked his paw to the floor. It became apparent that he wouldn't be finding anything useful in the library, so he placed back all the books and left.

He'd been walking aimlessly around the city for a moment when he passed the dining hall.

"There he is!" Sparx pointed his finger at him.

Mirage turned his head to see Spyro, Cynder and the golden dragonfly descending down the stairs in front of the hall. He slowed his pace so they would catch up to him faster.

"You agreed on Terrador's offer?" Mirage asked simply when they reached him.

"Yes, we'll be guarding you," Spyro replied.

Mirage smirked dryly. "Awesome, I've always wanted bodyguards. Any idea where we are headed?"

"We don't know yet, but I'm sure the Guardians will clarify that tomorrow before we leave," Spyro assured, meeting Mirage's eye.

"Right. Well, I'll be glad to get out of the city for a while," he responded with a slightly heavy tone.

Normally, it would probably sound weird for someone to say that, knowing that he'd only been a day in Warfang, but not everyone had wrecked an arena's wall on their first day in the city.

"Oh, you might be glad to get back here if we make it out of this trip alive. My bro here has a natural talent for getting into trouble." Sparx looked at Spyro accusingly with his arms folded.

Mirage was silent for a while. "Wait. You two are brothers? How does that make sense?"

Spyro lightly chuckled at his expression. "It's a long story, but we were raised as brothers."

The shadow dragon hardly looked any less weirded-out, but let the matter drop anyway.

They had been walking back towards the temple and had nearly reached it. Without really deciding where they were going, they ended up on the big balcony of the Temple, which gave a great viewpoint over the majority of Warfang.

No real conversation was going on, so Mirage decided to ask something that he'd been thinking.

"So, it's true that you two defeated Malefor single-handedly?"

They shared a slightly unpleasant glance before both of them nodded to Mirage.

"We did, but getting to him came with a price," Cynder said carefully, knowing that the recent loss was still hard for Spyro.

It took a minute for Mirage to put two and two together. "Oh, right. I heard some talk about what happened to the Fire Guardian. You knew him well?"

Spyro slowly nodded again. "He was my mentor. We couldn't have done it without him." He spoke with a heavy tone.

"So he died a hero. And you still beat Malefor even without him. He would be proud," Mirage comforted, but kept his face impassive.

The purple dragon gave a lighthearted smile. "We didn't exactly finish Malefor off, though. He was sealed in the world's core by the spirits of the ancestors."

"Spirits of the ancestors?" Mirage questioned, frowning.

"Yeah, well, that is just one of the many weird things that keep happening when you hang out with Spyro." Sparx pointed out.

Spyro grinned sheepishly at Sparx, before turning his attention back to Mirage.

"Yeah, five of them appeared around Malefor and dragged him to the world's core."

"Fascinating. Do you think he will remain trapped there till the end of time? He is a purple dragon, after all."

Spyro and Cynder exchanged a quick glance, trying to read the other's mind.

"I do believe that he won't be coming back." Spyro replied.

As Mirage continued to come up more questions, their conversation went on for a good while. Spyro was getting more into the storytelling, so he continued to share his adventures. Most of them Cynder hadn't heard either, and Mirage was actually growing interested in them.

Spyro spoke of his trip from the old Dragon Temple to the Silver River and how he'd ended up fighting Arborick and was taken prisoner on Skabb's ship. By the time he started talking about the White Isle and the Chronicler, Mirage's interest peaked.

 _So, there is a dragon who has been watching over the Dragon Realms for ages. How interesting… Spyro mentioned he keeps a book for every living dragon. This is it: the answer to my problem._

"So, how did you find the White Isle?"


	4. The Search

There is a distant forest, far from civilization, where no dragon sets their paw. It seems to reside on the edge of the Realm, as it is also almost impossible to find. It is surrounded by fog every hour of the day and, for unknown reasons, sun never shines there.

Thick clouds always cover this eerie forest known as Evilian Woods. It is a place often mentioned in stories that dragons tell each other, but many believe it doesn't actually exist, as no one has knowingly ever found it.

Rumors tell that once, long ago, a ritual was performed there to lock something evil away from the world, but the evil's presence never left the place. It is also told that its followers still live in the forest, waiting for the day they can release their master. Some say they are a group of twisted shadow dragons or some sort of shadowy beings.

The forest has little food to offer, as it mainly consists of dead trees. Because of the lack of sunshine and constant rain, only a few kinds of trees, plants and animals are able to live there.

Like the White Isle, Evilian Woods can be found by anyone who knows what to search for and from where. But anyone who tries to find it without a deep calling to the place will be lost in the fog. If a dragon was to find this permanent fog barrier surrounding the place, he could never truly know what is behind it.

The clouds and the fog aren't the only things hiding the forbidden place from the world, though. A magical barrier of energy can almost be felt hanging in the air. This blocks the forest out of reach even for the Chronicler.

At the moment, there was a thunderstorm lighting up the skies above the evil woods. Under the flashing lights, shadows were gathering in an underground stronghold.

"It is time," a low distorted voice growled.

"Yes, master. We are ready. Give us the orders," a large shadow dragon answered, bowing his head slightly to a purple, round mirror-shaped crystal.

On the surface of the crystal, an image of an ancient dragon could be seen. The dragon had acid-green eyes and a metallic blade rising from his snout. A pair of two branched horns gave him a very fearsome appearance. They were light grey in color, but seemed to have a tint of darker shades on them as well.

"Take the crystal and go to the core of the world. Perform the ritual and fill the crystal with Malefor's power. Make sure no one discovers our intentions. If anyone sees you, you know what to do."

"We won't fail you, master," the general promised.

* * *

The morning had arrived at Warfang and the streets were flooded with busy people. Moles had to call extra staff on duty at the dining hall, because nearly every dragon in the city had come for breakfast at the same time.

The hall itself could have fit a lot more dragons in it, but the moles didn't have enough cooks to serve every dragon of the city in such a short period of time.

Mirage had been up early and had gotten his breakfast before the majority of dragons had rushed in. He'd had very little sleep, constantly going through different kinds of scenarios of the trip away from Warfang. The lack of sleep didn't bother him at all; he was feeling rather energetic.

For everyone else it was a search for dragon populations, but for him it was an adventure to the White Isle. He truly didn't know how he would find it, but he had a strong feeling in his gut telling him that he would reach his destination.

With those thoughts in his mind, he walked up the Temple's stairs and headed for Spyro's room.

He raised his paw and gave the wooden door a few loud knocks. After a moment, the purple dragon appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, it's you." Spyro looked a little surprised, not having expected visitors. "How did you know where my room is?"

Mirage inwardly slapped himself. It hadn't occurred to him that Spyro hadn't actually told him where his room was. Quickly enough, he came up with a lie.

"I… didn't," he began slowly. "I knew that your room was on this floor, so I knocked on every door in the hallway."

The purple dragon frowned at him first, which he answered with a bob of his head as if saying 'yeah, I did that.'

Spyro chuckled a little. "Well, come in," he ordered.

Mirage took the invite and stepped inside. Apparently Sparx was full of anxious energy for the upcoming trip, as he seemed to be buzzing all over the room at a frantic pace. Cynder was more relaxed; she was sitting on the balcony and gazing over the city, but turned around as she heard the door close.

"So when are we expected to gather up for the search?" Mirage asked.

"Soon enough, I guess. I heard that the Guardians would be ringing the city bell when it's time," Cynder called out from the balcony.

Mirage gave a nod and also walked outside to the balcony. He gazed over the city and let his mind wander over how the Guardians would react when they inevitably found out that he'd left the group to find the White Isle.

Cynder noticed that he was dwelling on his thoughts. "Anxious about the trip?" she asked.

Mirage shook his thoughts away and replied, "I actually look forward to it. I'm sure the trip will be a successful one." He smiled to himself.

Both black dragons turned to go back inside and Spyro suggested that they should start heading towards the main hall. Everyone went with the suggestion and they had barely gotten out of the residential area of the Temple before the bell rang.

The trio of young dragons were the first ones in the main hall, but they were soon followed by a large crowd of others.

Dragons of every main element were flooding the large room, which had a stage that stood higher than the rest of the floor. On the stage were the Guardians, who seemed impressed with the number of dragons gathering there.

When the flow of dragons stopped and everyone in the room looked up the Guardians, Terrador opened his mouth. "We thank every one of you for gathering here today. As you all know, our city is in need of inhabitants and that is why we are here today." His charismatic voice carried throughout the entire room and everyone listened intently.

"We require a few particular dragons to work as the leaders for each group. Everyone who sees fit to take on the position, gather in front of the stage, please," Volteer called out.

The young trio of dragons exchanged looks and moved up in front of the stage. A lot of talk was going on in the midst of the dragons and eventually six adult dragons also moved up in front of the stage.

The guardians examined all of them, but their attention lingered on the young ones.

"Normally we would not accept young dragons on a mission like this," Terrador said, keeping his eyes on them.

"But you are an exception to that. You two have shown more than enough talent required for a task like this," Cyril continued.

Spyro and Cynder smiled at the Guardians, but their statement left Mirage feeling a little out of place, as he was basically just dragging along with them.

"Alright, we will gather your crew together first and send you on your way. We need ten dragons for each group; everyone divide into four groups!" Terrador called out.

The dragons in the hall obeyed the command in an almost military manner. The Guardians put up satisfied smiles, seeing how well everyone co-operated.

"Alright then, all of you will be taking part in Spyro's group." Cyril pointed a claw towards a squad of dragons. "Follow me to the main square. You will be taking off shortly."

The ice Guardian turned to leave and, with Spyro's lead, the rest of his crew followed in unison. The corridors were empty, so their walk outside was a quick one.

Hardly a few minutes later, every dragon of Spyro's group was sitting down in Warfang's main square, waiting for further orders.

"We needed four groups of dragons for the search so we could explore from every main direction. We will be sending you west," Cyril clarified.

Spyro looked up to the Guardian and nodded. "What about our journey's duration? When are we expected to be back?" he questioned.

"We don't have a schedule for this journey. Time is not our problem, young dragon. But we do hope every group comes back with more inhabitants for our city."

"So we can take as long as we like?" Cynder asked.

"Yes, but if you are gone for longer than three weeks, we will be sending out scouts to locate you. We don't expect any trouble, but it's a precaution we all agreed to."

Every dragon on the square gave an understanding look.

"Any more questions?" Cyril asked, looking around at the two dozen dragons. "If no one objects, you are free to leave right away."

The young dragons especially got a feeling like they had butterflies in their stomachs. The journey was about to begin and, once again, they would get to explore the world further. The thought filled them with warm energy and they could hardly keep from smiling widely.

No one objected the departure, so with Spyro and Cynder first in the air, their whole crew followed without question. It was a strange sensation to be leading fully grown dragons when the head of the crew were just teenagers. Still, it was a task they would without a doubt succeed in.

It was still early in the morning, so they could cover a lot of ground during the day. They crossed the Warfang dam, which was being rebuilt by a handful of moles.

It was then that a realization struck Spyro. "We're headed towards the old Dragon Temple, aren't we?" he asked, excited.

Cynder frowned lightly. "Well, there's not much left of the Temple, but I think so. Why do you ask?"

The purple dragon's smile spread wide and he gleefully spun around in the air.

"That area is very close to the swamp. We don't even have to go off course to visit my parents!"

Cynder smiled warmly back at him, feeling glad for him. Meanwhile, Mirage had his own thoughts.

 _The Dragon Temple and the swamp are right next to the Silver River… This is perfect. Spyro told me that he found the White Isle by following the river to its end. Looks like this is going to be easier than I thought._

The conversation died out, but everyone had their thoughts to accompany them. No one was bothered by the silence and the group continued flying towards the Dragon Temple at a sluggish pace.

Occasionally they would scout out the lands, searching for any signs of settlement. Spyro didn't expect to find anything before the Temple, though. Cynder had dominated the area and had likely kept it clear of dragons. Either the area would be void of dragons or they would be very well hidden. Especially if earth dragons were involved—lots of dragons could be living underground in their self-made caverns.

While Spyro wondered about the possibilities of finding dragon populations, he had a thought about a city Ignitus had mentioned before the Night of Eternal Darkness.

 _He told Terrador to warn the inhabitants of the Shattered Vale… It can't be very far from the old temple, but which way could it be?_

It hadn't been important back then, but now it definitely would be.

The thoughts fell to the back of his head, dropping the matter. The silence continued for a few hours before the group decided to take a break.

They spotted a clearing to the side of a small slope and everyone descended towards it.

The ground in the clearing was covered by tall grass and forest surrounded it. The forest wasn't dense, so they could have landed anywhere they wanted to, but it was more ideal for a large group of dragons to find a suitable clearing.

The sound of splashing water reached Cynder's ears and she started walking towards the origin of the sound.

Not a minute later, she found it. A few birds were playing around a small spring, which was pumping water up from underground. A satisfied smirk spread across her face.

Not only had she found water to drink, dinner came right along with it.

She crouched down and readied herself for a jump. One of the birds picked its head up and Cynder pounced for them. She caught one of them in her jaws and another with her paw. She picked both of them up and started walking back to the group.

Meanwhile, Spyro was telling the group how they were going to proceed with the trip.

"If we keep heading that way, we will eventually find the old Dragon Temple, or whatever is left of it. The area is still far away, so we will stop somewhere for the night before we reach it."

The dragons nodded and continued their own conversation.

Spyro heard a light rustle and turned to see Cynder approaching, carrying two birds with her.

"Fancy a meal?" she asked, dropping the birds in front of him.

"Sure, I guess. That was quite a fast hunt there," Spyro complimented.

The black dragoness smiled and winked at him. "You know me."

Spyro chuckled and sat down to enjoy his dinner. He wasn't actually very hungry, since they'd left Warfang just some hours ago, but he still ate all of it with good appetite.

"There is a spring too, just a minute's walk that way," Cynder said to Spyro, but with a loud enough voice for everyone to hear.

The dragons took the hint and went for it. Everyone got a drink of the cooling liquid, which left them feeling refreshed.

Soon enough, everyone was ready to continue and, with the lead of the young dragons, the group resumed their course westwards.

Nothing out of ordinary was seen for the remainder of the day. After many hours of flying, the sun slowly started setting and the wind was picking up. The wind wasn't on their side, so it was tiring out the travelers further.

No good places to rest were seen, even though everyone had their eyes keenly searching for them. The lone sound of flapping wings went for a little longer.

"Spyro, we need to land. Everyone is getting tired," Cynder pointed out, looking back at the others.

"I know. I remember seeing some old buildings a bit further towards the Dragon Temple. They were abandoned back then, so I'm sure we can rest at one of those."

The pace they were flying had decreased, but nevertheless, buildings started showing up on their sight. Only, most of them were hardly standing anymore.

Obviously it was Cynder's doing; there were large claw marks on some of the rooftops. She noticed this and shuddered uncomfortably.

Spyro didn't notice this, however, and kept flying further. He spotted a decently sound building, which looked like an old factory. It didn't appear to be collapsing anytime soon, so he turned his eyes on Cynder and nodded towards it.

The group landed to the side of it for a closer inspection. The factory had rough stone walls and some broken windows, but the structure seemed strong and solid. Getting inside didn't prove any trouble, as the doors had been ripped off. The marks of war left an eerie feeling about the place, but the need for rest overcame everyone's thoughts of objection.

"Alright, we'll spend the night here. Watch your step, though, there could be some broken glass on the floor," Spyro told the group.

It wasn't totally dark yet, so a few dragons of the group went out for a hunt and some collected wood for a campfire. By the time everyone was back together at the old factory, it was completely dark, aside from the firelight.

Some were enjoying their evening meals, but the young dragons had settled for just relaxing near the fire.

"So, how far is it to the ruins of the Temple from here?" Mirage asked, sounding hardly weary at all.

"Well, I don't know for sure, but I think it's just a few hours away from here. The Silver River takes a turn just about an hour that way." Spyro pointed a talon to the horizon.

Mirage's red eyes flashed and he immediately got the feeling of excitement. "So we will reach the Dragon Temple around midday, huh?" he asked to keep the conversation going.

" _When you reach it, I mean,"_ he thought to himself.

Spyro nodded. "Depends on the wind, but yeah, around then."

The fire was dying out and everyone was getting inside to sleep. All of the dragons had fallen asleep within the hour, except for Mirage. He had been waiting for his chance to sneak out and it was nearing.

He waited for another hour, making sure everyone was asleep. When he was sure no one would notice his departure, he slowly got up and walked out the door. He'd rounded the first corner of the factory when a buzzing light hit his eyes.

On a closer look, he identified the buzzing light as Sparx. For a moment, he froze. Had his escape failed?

The dragonfly noticed him and broke the silence. "Couldn't sleep either, huh? I'm surprised anyone can with Spyro's snoring."

The young black dragon was silent for a moment, trying to figure out his next move. Eventually, though, he relaxed and answered.

"Yeah, it is quite…overwhelming."

"Ha. You said it." Sparx snickered to himself.

Mirage sat there dumbly, not entirely sure what to do. He was supposed to be going for the White Isle, not sitting there chatting with a dragonfly.

Shaking his head, he made a point to himself. Whatever little commotion Sparx could cause now likely wouldn't wake anyone up, at least right away. With that thought, he got up and started walking away.

"Hey, where're you going?" the golden dragonfly called out to him.

Mirage stopped for a second. "To the White Isle. It's my only shot at getting my memory back."

He expected the dragonfly to question his intentions further, but he didn't.

"Well good luck getting to that freaky place. Watch out for weirdo pirates on your way there, they're not very nice."

The black dragon raised his brow as high as he could. Obviously Sparx wasn't aware of the fact that he wasn't allowed to leave the group.

"Right…" was his simple answer.

He spread his wings and hauled himself into the air. He shot in the direction Spyro had pointed out earlier.

He didn't know how far he would continue during the night, or what he might face in the dark, but he didn't care. He needed to get as far as possible from the search party to avoid being found.

Luckily for him, the flying earlier hadn't complete worn him out and he didn't expect anyone to notice his disappearance before the morning.


	5. The Cost Of Memories

The hours had seemingly no relevance during the flight. It was just as dark as when Mirage had left. He'd found the river in no time and proceeded along it.

Everything was completely still; nothing moved in the area. Mirage was starting to wear out, but he wasn't about to give up yet. He struggled to continue, and he succeeded until the first rays of sunlight were starting to show on the horizon.

Only then did he let himself rest. He descended sluggishly, hardly able to keep his eyes open. He didn't even reach the ground before he fell asleep. He slumped on a big branch, limbs hanging, and had barely acknowledged his landing when he drifted off to realm of dreams.

To his fortune, he hadn't reached the Ancient Grove yet. The vicious creatures there would be sure to take their chances on a sleeping dragon. The area he had reached was fairly clear of any life. Only small birds resided in the trees, so his rest was guaranteed.

Well, his body was getting its rest, but not his mind. Mirage opened his eyes to a strange sight. He was in the middle of nowhere, literally. He was on a platform in the middle of space. The place was plain weird, but it had a calming feel about it. Mild wind was the only thing making noise in that dreamy place.

Mirage observed the blue lights around him for a good while before he started getting back to reality.

 _What is this place…? How did I get here?_

He walked around the little platform, trying to find a way to go, but had no luck.

"If you pursue this path you are on, you will not like the consequences," a voice called out.

The young dragon looked around with wide eyes to find the origin of the voice, but was unable to see anything. The voice came from every direction, which he found bizarre.

Eventually, Mirage spoke up. "What do you mean?"

"You may have good intentions, but some things should remain unknown."

Mirage frowned, realizing what the voice meant. "You're talking about my missing memories, right? How do you know about that?"

"It is my duty to know. I watch over the Realms, which allows me to know a lot of things," the voice said in a calm, relaxed tone.

Trains of thoughts went through the black dragon's head and he realized what was happening. "So you must be the Chronicler. You must know that I'm on my way to the White Isle, so why did you summon me here?"

There was a pause before the Chronicler was able to give an answer.

"I cannot reveal to you the missing information that you are seeking. The weight of your missing memories is more than you could handle."

Mirage just sat there for a long while, going through mixed emotions about the answer he'd gotten.

How was he supposed to go on living with no memory of the past? How could he pretend to be fine when he knew nothing of himself?

He did consider the Chronicler's words, though. From what he understood, his judgement was to be taken seriously. But his curiosity couldn't be turned down that easily.

"What does that mean? I can't turn back from this. A piece of me is missing and I need it back!"

"I understand how important this is for you. It is only logical that you feel the way you do, but it is for your own good that you don't remember. The things buried deep in your mind would change you forever if you were to recover them," the Chronicler replied sadly.

The statement did have its impact and Mirage's eyes widened. He was actually a little frightened of the revelation. What did he actually know deep down?

The feeling of the Chronicler's presence faded away and Mirage was left alone to wonder on the countless theories he had about his lost memories. Soon enough, though, his lucid dreaming began to fail and everything started to fade.

He slowly opened his eyes to the bright sunlight, which caused him to immediately close them again. Flickering his eyelids multiple times, he adjusted to the light and lifted his head.

Judging by the position of the sun, it was well past midday—which was odd because he'd gone to sleep at the very break of dawn, but his lucid dream felt like it had only lasted for a few minutes. He felt relatively well-rested, which seemed weird considering he'd slept on a tree branch. The dream was still on the surface of his thoughts and it had made him very unsure of what to do.

He didn't feel at peace being the way he was, but the outcome of retrieving his lost memories wouldn't be quite as pleasant, either. He was left with two bad choices and he had to choose between them. He spent a moment cursing to himself about the whole situation before rational thinking returned to him.

Spyro and the others must have realized he was missing a good while ago, and Spyro most likely wouldn't just let someone go missing. Surely they would be looking for him, and if neither Spyro nor Cynder could figure out his plan, Sparx would certainly tell them about it.

Deciding he didn't want to be found anytime soon, he got airborne and proceeded on his way to the White Isle. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to finish the trip or not, but going towards the White Isle was the only way to avoid Spyro and his crew for the moment.

* * *

A great commotion was happening among the dragons, but Sparx was sleeping through it without any trouble.

"This can't be happening! We were supposed to look after him and he already ran off!" Cynder cursed out loud.

Spyro had asked everyone in the group to spread out to cover more ground, but to stay close enough to find their way back. At the moment, the purple dragon was walking in circles, trying to come up with ideas of where Mirage could have gone.

He wasn't getting anywhere and neither was Cynder. Frustrated, both young dragons sat down to clear their heads.

"It doesn't make sense for him to just run off, does it? Surely he has some reason to leave everyone behind," Cynder wondered.

"But where would a dragon with no memory go?" Spyro continued with his own question.

Cynder found the question a good one, summarizing the whole situation. If Mirage really didn't remember anything, where would he be heading to?

 _He can't find his way anywhere without his memory…_ Cynder thought to herself.

She paced around for a good few minutes, pondering the question. Then the realization struck her and her head shot up.

"What is it?" Spyro demanded immediately.

"Of course… He doesn't have his memory intact, but he's going to get it!" Cynder responded, meeting Spyro's eyes.

The purple dragon only gave her a confused look, not catching the drift. "You've lost me."

Cynder rolled her eyes. "You told him about your trip to the White Isle in detail, didn't you? About every dragon having their own book in the Chronicler's library? That's where he's headed!"

Spyro inwardly slapped himself for not realizing this earlier. _No wonder Mirage paid such close attention to that story. He had planned this out before the trip even began!_

"We need to call everyone back right now!"

In a fast manner, the two young dragons managed to gather the group back together.

"We've figured out where Mirage has gone, and I'm going after him. I will go alone so all of you can continue the search," Spyro told the group.

He hadn't really thought the idea through, but it felt like the best way to proceed. Not everyone agreed, though. Azur, an ice dragon with white underbelly and light blue scales, looked particularly unpleased. He was slightly smaller than Cyril in size, but his attitude wasn't that far from that of the Ice Guardian's.

"You are the leader of the group; you can't just go your own way! After all, The Guardians trusted you as the one who would be fit to lead," he objected.

Though Cynder didn't like his tone at all, she did agree with him to some extent. "He's right, you shouldn't be the one to go after him. The group needs a good leader."

Spyro eyed the protesters for a while, feeling a bit unsure on whether or not he should go through with his idea. In the end, he locked gazes with the black dragoness.

"The Guardians didn't choose me as the leader, they chose _us_. You are just as fit to lead as I am, so there is nothing to worry about," he assured her.

His words comforted Cynder, but also made her slightly nervous. She didn't know if the dragons in the group still carried a grudge against her because of what she'd done in the past.

Azur didn't look convinced, but the rest of the group seemed to accept Spyro's plan or just didn't bother to argue about it.

The purple dragon noticed the look on the ice dragon's face and he continued. "Besides, I'm the only one who knows the way that Mirage is traveling. Cynder can lead you to the remains of the Dragon Temple without me."

The dragons replied with understanding nods and no further complications came about.

It was only now that the golden dragonfly woke up from his slumber. "Did I miss something?"

"Mirage ran off and he's headed for the White Isle. I'm going after him and the rest will continue with the search," Spyro quickly summarized.

"Oh right, he did tell me about that," Sparx lazily replied while rubbing his eyes.

Spyro and Cynder exchanged dumbfounded looks before turning towards the dragonfly with annoyed glances.

"And you didn't think we should know about that?!" Cynder snapped at him.

Sparx started and raised his hands up in a defensive posture. "Whoa, whoa, chill out. Wouldn't you be doing the same thing if you were him?"

Both young dragons were about to press the matter, but just let it drop as it would do no good anyways.

The group departed and, for a while, Spyro flew among them. During the short flight before the Silver River, he just barely convinced Sparx to stay with Cynder for the time he was gone. It hadn't been easy, but he'd thought that it would be better if there was someone familiar with Cynder in the group while he was away.

Before Spyro turned away from others, Cynder voiced one of her questions. "What if he's already started his flight over the ocean when you get there? Will you follow him to the White Isle?"

"I think I have to. I need to know if he made it all the way there. The flight isn't a short one, after all."

Cynder gave an understanding look and the purple dragon waved his goodbye to everyone as he bolted his way along the river.

* * *

By the time Mirage reached the waterfall before the ocean, hours had passed, but he still wasn't sure if he wanted to continue his trip. He sat right on the spot where Spyro had fought Arborick years ago, just staring towards the horizon.

He must have sat there for another few hours, deep in thought, when he realized Spyro must be right on his tail. The purple dragon would surely have realized his intentions and would be coming his way.

Mirage considered his weird dream and the Chronicler's warning very carefully. He was about give up the whole plan, but he wasn't able to do so.

The very same dragoness from his previous dreams showed up in his thoughts. The image in his head felt so real that she might as well have just been standing in front of him. In his mind's eye, the black dragoness was embracing him and it felt like she was guiding him.

She wouldn't leave him alone and he couldn't control his flow of thoughts. He started to feel like he needed to fulfill the promise he'd presumably made, even if he didn't really know what that was.

Determination started to fill his whole being and any thoughts of returning to the group were being pushed away.

Mirage shut his eyes and the dragoness faded away from his mind. He didn't know what the event was about, but he couldn't resist the feeling anymore. He needed to go on.

He rose up and, without another thought, he spread his wings and took flight into the unknown.

He didn't know how long the flight would be or if he could even make it, but it didn't matter to him. He had a goal that he was going for; he wouldn't turn back now.

The ocean below him was calm and the wind gentle. It was in his favor, picking his pace up a bit. He kept a steady pace during the flight to the White Isle. Many others would have doubted themselves as no possibility to land presented itself, but the black dragon hardly cared.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he noticed he was flying into a barrier of fog. The ocean was still visible below him, but the mist was covering a lot of his view ahead.

This snapped the young dragon out of the trance he'd been stuck in since he'd decided to make the journey. He was flying more or less blind, which alarmed him, but he did his best to keep calm and move on. There was no turning back now.

He repeated every part of the story that Spyro had told him inside his head, trying to make some sense of how long it would be until he reached his destination.

Eventually, he saw a big turtle swimming in the ocean below, which was a good sign.

 _One of those carried Spyro to the shore when he was here the last time, so the isle can't be that far anymore… Here I come, Chronicler!_

His prediction turned out to be right, as he began to make out the cliffs where Spyro had first arrived on the isle. The sight erased any exhaustion that he'd felt during the flight. A swelling feeling of excitement filled his chest and a smile rose to his lips as he alighted on solid ground.

He'd really made it. He didn't stop to pat himself on the back, though; he kept going on the path that he assumed would lead to the Chronicler.

It was the same path Spyro had gone through, which remained exactly the same. The way to the Chronicler's library was a little slow because of the obstacles in the path, but they didn't cause any real trouble for Mirage. He didn't even need to charge up the orbs to open the door to the last room before the Chronicler's library, which he found a bit odd but ignored.

Mirage entered the final chamber without another thought. He kept his eyes peeled for any possible threat, but he didn't find any.

Every door in the room was shut and, as he glanced back, the door behind also slammed shut. He jumped and felt a slight twinge of panic at being sealed in.

Before he had come up with any sort of plan of action, a voice spoke up. "Expose your heart to summon ghost, then face alone what you fear most."

Mirage realized it was the same thing Spyro had gone through, so he prepared himself for what was to come. Taking a deep breath, he walked in front of the glowing portal. It was both exciting and terrifying for the young black dragon.

 _I don't even know my own worst fear… Well, here goes nothing._

He took a step forward onto the portal and braced himself. For a good while, he sat there, until he started to grow frustrated. Nothing seemed to be happening, so he tried to focus on something that could help him proceed with the trial.

Again, for some time, nothing happened. Then, as if drifting away from his body and mind, he seemed to disappear to another place.

He was somewhere far away from the White Isle. He was surrounded by luscious green grass and fruit trees were blooming around him. A small stream of crystal-clear water ran past him.

It was a beautiful sight and for the moment he felt happy. He heard someone call his name and turned around to see the dragoness from his dreams running towards him. She looked more beautiful than ever and he felt the need to rush up to her.

They closed in to greet each other with wide smiles. He had all but forgotten that he was actually completing a trial on the White Isle and that the scenery he was seeing wasn't real.

The joyful moment shattered when, all of a sudden, the expression of the dragoness turned to horror and immense pain. Simultaneously, two slash wounds opened up in her chest and she fell to the ground.

Before Mirage understood what was going on, he noticed a dragon appearing some distance away in the shadow of a tree. Despite the shadow, Mirage saw his _purple_ scales very clearly.

The dragon's tail was lifted up and it was dripping blood. He gave a sadistic smile, which got the black dragon's blood boiling.

Before he could attack him, however, his attention was turned back to the dragoness, whose yellow chest was now almost completely red.

She coughed up blood and looked Mirage hopelessly in the eye. The situation was totally overwhelming for him. He felt like he was losing everything he had in a single moment, as if the world around him was crumbling.

He was losing himself, but in a flash everything faded away and he was back at the White Isle. His breathing was still heavy from the incredibly vivid dream he'd just been in. When he was able to calm down, he found himself confused.

"Why is her death my worst fear? I don't even know her, as far as I know," he said to himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by a door creaking open. From where he was sitting, he could already see the big hourglass within the room. Instantly, he started walking towards the library, leaving his thoughts behind.

The blue light illuminated the short corridor as well as the entire room. Mirage observed the hourglass with a curious look, wondering what purpose it held. As he entered the room, his gaze drifted off the hourglass. A fully grown dragon with blue scales was approaching him from the back of the room. His face displayed friendliness, but held a stern look as well.

"I suppose I should have known you wouldn't heed my warning. I am glad you made it here safely, but I had hoped you wouldn't come."

Mirage didn't know what to respond and simply held the Chronicler's gaze.

"Still, I welcome you to the White Isle. If nothing else, at least you are very determined to make the journey all the way here," the Chronicler continued with a kinder tone.

"I made up my mind. No matter what secrets I might unlock, it will surely be better than my current state," Mirage explained.

The statement made the older dragon give a displeased look. "You're wrong if you think you have it hard now. If you are to recover your memories, you won't be the same anymore."

"How can you be sure? Just because you are the Chronicler, you can't always be right!" Mirage protested.

"You are as stubborn as Spyro when it comes to things like this." The Chronicler smiled. "I don't know for sure, but it's likely to happen. Also, you can call me Ignitus."

Mirage's brow rose as he tried to figure out whether he had heard right. He was surprised, but to him it didn't change anything, so he gathered his thoughts back fairly quick.

"So, you were Spyro's mentor and now you've become the new Chronicler?"

"That's correct. Even Spyro doesn't know yet, but he will soon enough. He will be arriving shortly."

 _I knew he wouldn't be far behind,_ Mirage thought to himself.

He began to walk around the room, searching the endless shelves.

"So where do I find my book?" he demanded.

Ignitus held up a paw. "I didn't say that I would let you have it yet. I need your word that you will stay on the right path if you are to discover your past."

"Alright, you have my word, then. Now, where can I find it?" The young black dragon's patience was wearing thin. He didn't want to wait any longer.

Right then, a completely black book seemed to come flying out of nowhere, heading straight for Mirage. The book was encased in shadowy energy, which caused Ignitus to gasp.

Mirage paid no mind to the fact, however, and reached for the book. "Thanks."

 _But that wasn't my doing…_ Ignitus thought, feeling very uneasy.

* * *

Spyro had just landed on the White Isle and spent a moment catching his breath. Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy fill the air, causing his head to jerk up. He could actually see waves of dark energy finding their way to some specific area on the island.

He didn't have time to react before a deafening roar hit his ears.

All of the energy that had been building up was now being released, all at once. A shockwave of dark energy blew past the purple dragon, and the entire White Isle went dark.


	6. So It Begins

In the caverns of the Evilian Woods, the shadow dragon general, Kronos, was following the progress of his soldiers through a pool of visions.

Kronos was the general of the tribe for a reason; he was well built and very well trained. Every member of the tribe was trained to their limits, but Kronos could take on multiple dragons of his size without too much trouble.

He also had a sharp mind and an edge for tactical thinking, which had gotten his master to choose him as the general.

He had four ivory horns, resembling those of Spyro's, except that they curled sharply upward. His coloring was peculiar for a shadow dragon; he had a white underbelly and white membranes on his wings. He was the only dragon in the tribe with that particular coloring, which really made him stand out.

He was gazing into the pool of visions without really paying thought to what he was seeing. His mind was wandering on the possibilities of what they could achieve when they released their master.

His train of thought was quickly broken, though, when he felt a surge of energy build up somewhere far away. He frowned because it didn't feel like the purple dragon's energy.

The general's head snapped up towards the purple crystal. His eyes wide, he muttered, "That can't be him, right?"

A thoughtful rumble was his only answer, so he continued. "He disappeared generations ago, there's no way he is still alive."

There was a moment of silence before he got an answer through the strange crystal. "Seems like we haven't seen the last of him. Tell your soldiers to be on lookout for him. You are to capture him—alive, preferably, but that isn't mandatory. Our fallen prince will pay for his rebellion. No one crosses me and gets away with it," the voice said in a low, malicious tone.

Kronos held a skeptical look on his face, having a difficult time believing that the source of the energy was actually Mirage, but in the end he didn't dare to question further.

"I understand, we will do our best."

The voice rumbled through the entire cavern in which they were residing, and every soldier felt shivers running down their scales. "Your _best_ had better be enough, then. I want it done. I will be following your progress."

Even though Kronos was a lot stronger than anyone else in the tribe, his master's tone still had him shivering slightly. He nodded a bit shakily and left to carry out his orders.

* * *

Spyro lifted himself off the ground, slowly. Whatever wave of energy had passed by him had left him feeling a bit disoriented.

He rubbed his head with a paw and quickly remembered the situation. He could still see the pinnacle of the energy. When he looked towards the Chronicler's library, he could see a pillar of shadowy energy leading straight up to the sky.

He quickly started sprinting towards it, fearing something for the worse. He remembered the way to the library well and it took only a few short moments for him to get close to it.

This time he didn't have to face any challenges or complete any trials; the pathway was wide open for him and he didn't think twice to rush through it. Even the door that he'd had to open with his elements previously was already open, and from there he could already see inside the library.

He kept running as fast as he could, jumping over the portal that had been his final challenge the last time.

He reached the door and rushed straight inside. He was more out of breath than he'd realized because of the long flight and the fast sprint he'd just endured, but his breath got slightly stuck in his throat when he saw what was going on.

Mirage was suspended in mid air, waves of energy passing by his body. His eyes were shut tightly and for a moment it almost looked like he was in pain.

Spyro just watched him levitating with wide eyes, not understanding the situation. It wasn't exactly what he'd expected to see when he got to the White Isle.

He stared at Mirage and held a wary stance as he didn't know what to expect next.

The purple dragon hadn't even noticed the Chronicler yet, who was right behind him. Ignitus couldn't get words out of his mouth just yet, because of the fast flow of events that had taken place in front of him.

He knew that restoring Mirage's memories would change him to something entirely different, but he hadn't expected it to have this kind of effect.

Most of the books in the shelves had been knocked down to the floor and there was a hole in the ceiling right above Mirage. The building had small cracks all over it, but, by the looks of it, it was still stable.

Ignitus had known that Spyro would be coming after Mirage, but he had completely lost track of him. Now that the purple dragon was standing in front of him for the first time after the war, he felt even more speechless.

His attention turned back to the levitating black dragon in front of Spyro.

He seemed to be more at ease now and was slowly descending towards the floor. If darkness could shine, Mirage would have been a perfect example for it. He no longer sent out waves of shadowy energy, but his element could still be seen practically glowing off of him.

He touched down to the floor in a sitting position, but he kept his head down and eyes shut for a moment longer.

Mirage drew in a long steady breath and lifted his head. As he opened his eyes, they seemed to give off a brief red glow. He turned his gaze to Ignitus.

"Thanks," Mirage said simply, speaking on a different tone than before. He sounded like all the happiness and joy had been sucked out of him.

Spyro noticed this change and he narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what had changed so drastically.

The young purple dragon had been so focused on what was happening in front of him that he hadn't even looked around. It was only when he realized that Mirage was looking past him that he turned to look behind him.

He saw an adult dragon with blue scales and blue clothing, a blue crystal hanging around his neck and books and satchels strapped to him.

He opened his mouth to greet him, but the words got stuck in his throat. The Chronicler's face was different, along with his horns. Spyro kept staring and realized that he wasn't looking at the Chronicler he remembered.

Forgetting everything else around him, he mumbled, "Ig… Ignitus?"

Ignitus gave a warm smile at his old friend and replied, "Yes, Spyro, it is I."

Spyro wasn't able to process everything that was going on and was left in a state of confusion. A dragon he had taken back to Warfang with him was now on the White Isle with him, emitting more power than Cynder ever had. And like that wasn't enough, he was now looking at his old mentor, the one who had _died,_ and yet there was no mistake that he was standing right in front of him.

He didn't know what to feel; all of his emotions were mixed up because of his confusion. He sat there in a daze for a moment before he shook his head and tried to compile his thoughts.

"What's going on here?" he asked with a half confused and half frustrated tone.

By the looks of it, Mirage wasn't about to explain himself, so eventually it was Ignitus who explained the situation.

Even though Ignitus himself was still unsure how Mirage would be handling his own situation at the moment, he started explaining everything that had happened after the incident at the Belt of Fire. He told how after he had met his fate in the fire, he had seen the Realm of the Ancestors and how he had been asked if he would like to be the next Chronicler.

Long before he had died, the dragons on the other side had been planning on giving him the honor of watching over the Dragon Realms, so when he had accepted the duty, he had been taken to the very same library they were in at the moment.

"By the time you and Cynder had defeated Malefor, I was officially the Chronicler," Ignitus admitted, ending his little story.

Spyro still had some trouble with taking in all of the new information. He didn't reply anything for a while, but eventually he had to voice his thoughts.

"Why didn't you let me know earlier? The previous Chronicler came to talk to me in my dreams, so why didn't you?" he asked in a slightly hurt voice.

Ignitus gave him a sympathetic look, realizing how much his old friend had missed him. "The previous Chronicler only contacted you because the world was in grave danger. I wanted to tell you how proud I was when you defeated Malefor, but my duty is to watch over the Realms, not to communicate with the living. I am not supposed to contact anyone unless it is an absolute necessity."

Spyro spent a moment considering his words and, though it didn't make him feel better about the situation, he did understand his point. His eyes were about to start tearing up, so he just gave an understanding nod.

Mirage, on the other hand, wasn't particularly interested in their reunion and was growing bored. He was examining his body and his mind as if he'd just recently received them. He felt energized and sitting around wasn't helping him out. There was _something_ he had to do.

"Alright, I'll be leaving now," he stated bluntly.

Spyro stared at him for a short moment as he rose to his feet and started to walk away, before realizing the situation. He didn't really know what was going on in the black dragon's mind, but he knew that they were still on a mission.

"We need to get back to the group. Ignitus, can you show us the way, like the old Chronicler did when I was trying to rescue Cynder from the Well of Souls?"

"Well, yes I can. All of his information was passed on to me when I became the Chronicler."

"Then we should get going, but…can I come to visit after the search?" Spyro asked in a longing tone.

"Well, it isn't forbidden as far as I know, so I would like that," Ignitus replied with a smile.

Spyro felt a swell of happiness in his chest after hearing those words. He didn't want to leave the White Isle yet, but knowing that he could come back made it easier. He hadn't fully recovered from the shock of the sudden reunion, but he was getting over it.

"Alright then, let's get going."

"I'm not coming," Mirage stated as he kept walking away.

The purple dragon gave him a dumbfounded look. "What do you mean you're not coming? We need to get back to the group!"

"Go ahead, then. There is something I have to take care of personally." He stopped and gave a serious look at Spyro,then resumed walking away, which started to really get on the purple dragon's nerves.

Spyro took off running and cut Mirage off, narrowing his eyes a bit.

"I'm serious, we are getting back right now."

Mirage's eyes flared up, but he spoke with a calm tone. "Get out of my way."

"You are coming, even if I have to drag you!" Spyro raised his voice, his tail twitching with irritation.

"You can always try." Mirage smiled deviously.

"Alright, that's enough!" Ignitus cut in, walking between the two young dragons.

"The Guardians chose me and Cynder to keep an eye on him; I can't return to Warfang only to tell them that he wanted to go his own way!" Spyro protested.

"Maybe so, but you can't make him come with you by force, either," Ignitus countered, leaving Spyro with no arguments.

He turned his head to Mirage and continued. "Tell me, what is it that you are so determined to do?"

"It's none of your business," Mirage grunted.

"Actually it is," Ignitus responded in a quiet tone, falling silent for a moment and looking away.

Both young dragons frowned at him, waiting for him to explain himself.

Ignitus noticed this and sighed. "I watch over the realms and study the past, the present, and glimpses of the future. But whatever is in your book, I was not able to see it."

"What do you mean? You've had it here this whole time," Mirage asked, raising his brow.

"I am unable to open it. I can feel a strange force blocking me. I can only catch short glimpses of what it contains, which haven't been pleasant." This statement caused Spyro to grow even more suspicious of the black dragon.

Brief surprise showed on Mirage's face, before it turned blank again. "I refuse to be a subject of your study, so as far as I'm concerned, it's good that you can't open the bo—"

His head snapped away from Spyro and Ignitus, as if he'd seen or heard something.

He gazed to nothingness with a focused look on his face. His demeanour got the other two staring at him.

"You want me to return to the group with you? Alright, let's go, then," Mirage blurted out of the blue.

Spyro raised his brow, trying to figure out if he'd heard right. The black dragon didn't seem to be kidding, so Spyro just opened and closed his mouth a few times dumbly.

Because Spyro was utterly dumbstruck by Mirage's sudden change of heart, the black dragon took action rather than waiting for Spyro to snap out of it.

He sprinted past Ignitus and Spyro to the library like he'd caught fire on his tail and stopped in front of the hourglass.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Show us the way!" he demanded.

It took a moment, but Ignitus did just that. He walked to the hourglass as well and waved his paw at it. A few books came to life and spiralled around it and soon the hourglass lifted off the ground and the floor beneath it opened.

As soon as the route was open, Mirage dashed inside it. Spyro exchanged a curious look with Ignitus before stepping to the edge of the portal.

* * *

Cynder had led the group to the remains of the once majestic Dragon Temple. There was hardly anything left of the great temple now—a bit of rubble and huge marks on the ground where the temple had been ripped out.

The group was currently taking a break and getting a bit of rest, although some of the group members were searching for any signs of dragons in the nearby area.

Cynder, on the other hand, was lost in her thoughts. Seeing the Dragon Temple completely gone had gotten her to remember the time when she had called it home. Even if she had never felt truly at peace in the temple, having her former home taken away did leave her feeling a bit empty.

A stream of memories went through her head as she gazed into the empty patch where the majestic building had once stood. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something moving towards her and the group. She snapped out of her thoughts.

Dark clouds were approaching them, at a strangely fast pace.

She raised her brow slightly. The weather seemed fine and there wasn't supposed to be a storm. She ordered everyone to regroup in order to find shelter for the coming storm.

The dragons followed orders rather slowly, which irritated her a bit, but she didn't bother rushing them. When they were done regrouping, the dark clouds were practically above their heads already.

Cynder climbed on top of a big rock and spoke up. "Alright, everyone listen up! As you can see, it will be raining shortly. We will head towards the swamp to find shel-"

She got the strangest feeling like they were being watched and it immediately set her on edge. Something wasn't right.

Through her elements, she could sense a lot of energy, evil energy, somewhere near. She quickly turned her gaze to the sky.

"No way…" she muttered to herself.


	7. First Blood

Cynder shifted uneasily under the many pairs of eyes staring down on them. The rest of the dragons with her shared the same agitation, even Azur whose cockiness had all but melted away as he held his eyes to the sky.

To their horror, the shadow dragons started descending upon them and charging their elements.

Everyone spent a moment compiling themselves, fear gripped in their hearts, but they had all endured war. Soon enough, everyone was prepared for what was coming.

Cynder, on the other hand, was feeling anything but ready for a fight. Besides the fact that she had fought against very few shadow dragons, her group mainly consisted of earth dragons who would not fare well against shadow dragons.

 _Who are they and why do they even want to fight us…?_ She questioned in her head. She had never seen so many shadow dragons at once; there had to be at least forty of them.

Shadow was not a very common element. She was amazed to see so many at a time. Besides amazement, she felt confused as to why there wasn't any other elements in their platoon and why they had masked their group with elemental magic during their flight.

Her questions didn't get answers before they landed around them. They had surrounded them.

One shadow dragon, who Cynder guessed was the leader of the platoon, approached her and she took a battle stance.

The leader of the platoon smiled wickedly. He wasn't exactly big in size, but his yellow eyes and his demeanour carried fearsome authority. He had four horns, similar to Cynder's, but he lacked the smaller horns between them.

He stopped barely an adult dragon's tail length away from Cynder and looked at her curiously for a good while. She found it really unnerving.

Eventually, the leader opened his mouth. "You're a long way from home." His voice was similar to a snake's hissing.

The platoon leader looked as if he knew her, so she simply blurted, "What?"

He flashed her an unnerving grin.

"I am Aegon, the leader of this platoon. We are on a mission and we could use your help, seeing that you're one of us. Your friends, on the other hand, are not needed."

His sadistic smile made Cynder sick. "I've got a mission of my own and you're interrupting it," she hissed back with a bit of venom in her tone.

"Feisty one, aren't you?" Aegon snickered, but took a serious face. "If you refuse my request, you will share the same fate as your friends."

Aegon motioned his platoon forward with his wing and they swiftly attacked them.

Cynder's eyes widened in slight panic when she saw her group members getting beaten up. They were her responsibility and she'd failed to keep them out of harm's way.

Aegon on the other hand only looked pleased as he watched the fight. He gave Cynder a questioning look as if asking her to reconsider.

"You disgust me, I wouldn't even consider helping _you,"_ she snarled.

Aegon narrowed his eyes. "Have it your way, then."

He wasted no time tapping into his element and dashing towards Cynder. He was hardly more than a blur of black scales; Cynder wasn't able to completely dodge his attack and received claw marks on her cheek.

When she prepared for her own attack, Aegon had already whirled around and was coming for another strike.

Fueled by anger, she took the attack head-on. She managed to slice his shoulder with her wingblade, but he headbutted her to the jaw.

She was thrown off balance because of his bigger size and had to rethink her fighting style against him. She shook her head and rubbed her jaw with a paw.

By now the small search party was completely engaged in combat, elemental attacks lighting up the field.

The group of ten dragons consisted of six earth dragons, two fire dragons and two ice dragons. They were quickly being pushed back as the shadow dragons could easily avoid the earth dragon's elemental attacks by sinking into their elements.

Fire and ice kept them at bay, as it harmed them even when they were encased in shadows, but still they were outnumbered and outmatched.

Azur had managed to freeze two shadow dragons with a fury, but it had drained him badly and now he was hardly able to avoid their attacks.

He rolled over to dodge a cloud of shadow fire. He shot icicles at his opponent, but another one jumped out of shadows behind him and knocked him to the ground.

As soon as he turned his face away from the dirt, he froze. His opponent was hardly inches away from his face. His jaw was open and he was ready to fry the ice dragon to ashes.

Just as he thought he'd met his end, flames engulfed the shadow dragon and he screamed in agony as his scales melted.

Faedus, a fire dragon who had two forked brown horns, yellow crests and a white underbelly, gave Azur a quick smirk.

"You're welcome!"

Azur didn't have time to thank him. He had to quickly avoid a tailblade that nearly decapitated him. He brought up his paw and managed to strike his foe straight in the face.

He spun around quickly and smacked the momentarily dazzled shadow dragon hard with his tail.

Just as he got one opponent unconscious, three more jumped at him simultaneously and pushed him to the ground.

Azur groaned and realized that the only ones still standing were Cynder and Faedus. He caught a blur of motion in the corner of his sight and, before he knew it, he faintly felt a spike of pain at the side of his head and the world went dark.

Faedus and Cynder were having an increasingly more difficult time as they had to face more opponents. Faedus quickly found himself completely surrounded. Running out of options, he gathered all of his remaining strength.

His body was glowing slightly as he rose off the ground and released his fury. Most of the shadow dragons managed to avoid the blazing heat, but a few got caught in it.

He landed heavily and struggled to keep his balance. Six more dragons emerged from shadows in front of him. That was the last thing he saw before he collapsed from exhaustion.

Aegon had ushered all of his followers against Cynder and was watching the fight with keen interest. Being the last one standing, Cynder had resorted to using convexity as she was unable to fight so many opponents at once. It was draining her way too fast and she knew it.

As she saw Faedus hit the ground, fear started building in her chest. She was alone against over thirty dragons.

 _Even if I used a convexity fury, there's no way they would all get caught in it…_

"You should have agreed," Aegon told her, and in a blur of motion he disappeared and reappeared beside her to strike her with his right paw, claws digging into her scales.

Cynder lost her balance and dropped to the ground, blood flowing from the fresh wound on her side.

During the fight, she'd gotten bruises and cuts all over her body. Mostly they were just scratches, but they were bleeding. A twinge of pain shot through her body as she stood back up and she grimaced. She didn't waste any time examining her new wound, though.

She shot a beam of convexity at Aegon, who was unable to completely avoid it. The beam completely disintegrated the tip of his wing and engulfed two dragons behind him.

Aegon roared in pain and brought his hurt wing to his face. He gently blew cool air on it in a feeble attempt to ease the pain.

His followers all charged for Cynder and she was forced to take flight. She barely avoided a dozen swipes of sharp claws as she got off the ground, inwardly thanking her quick movements.

She flapped hard to gain distance from her opponents, but they were right on her tail. The fight had drained her, which was obvious from the pace of her flight.

No matter how hard she tried, her wings refused to move fast enough to get away from the bloodthirsty group. She'd hardly gotten a hundred meters away and they were already gaining on her. They split up and formed a circle.

Fear grasped Cynder's chest as she found herself surrounded in midair. She whirled around and spat a cloud of poison in every direction in a vain attempt to shake the dragons off. They were forced to take distance, but in no time they were on her again. To Cynder's horror, they all directed their jaws at her, shadow energy building up in them.

Her eyes widened as shadow fire was unleashed at her from every direction. In a desperate act, she dug deep into her elemental reserves and started forming a miniature convexity fury.

She'd never performed a fury mid-flight, let alone a convexity fury, but she had no time to think about consequences. A purple glow veiled her body as she snapped her wings out and unleashed the fury.

The sky lit up in a brilliant purple flash, the crackling of convexity filling the air. The fury easily deflected the shadow fire and the unfortunate ones who were too close were already dropping from the sky.

Cynder panted heavily when she was finished with her attack and started dropping down herself. Complete exhaustion washed over her and she could hardly slow her descent at all. She just barely could keep her wings open. She glided fast to the ground and landed roughly, tripping over and rolling on the ground.

She rolled over to her stomach, but didn't get up. She was still panting and she needed a break before she could continue.

Unfortunately, Aegon and his followers didn't appear to be giving her that much needed break. The shadow soldiers landed around her and Aegon walked slowly closer, his face showing grim pleasure.

Cynder just watched him get closer, still unable to get up. He stopped right in front of her and raised his bladed tail.

"End of the road, kid."

He prepared to make his final move when the sound of lightning caught his attention. The sky was clear, so he quickly searched for the source of the sound.

It took only a few seconds to spot it. Further away he saw a portal opening up, which alerted their whole group. It was far away, but he was able to see a figure come through it, soon followed by another.

When he saw one of them light up in purple energy, his eyes widened.

"What now?" he muttered, taking a cautious step back.

"Spyro…?" Cynder whispered to herself.

"The purple dragon?" Aegon questioned, turning to look at Cynder.

Despite her wounds and exhaustion, she smirked at him. "You'd better run while you still can."

Aegon snarled and turned to look back at the approaching figures. The glowing one was approaching at an enormous speed. He looked like a purple comet coming right at them.

When he was close enough, Aegon's jaw dropped open. It wasn't the purple dragon; it was a shadow dragon.

Mirage didn't slow down and aimed right at the bulk of the shadow dragons. He landed with an explosion of both shadow and convexity, critically harming many of the soldiers.

Aegon had been to the side of the blast, but had to shield his eyes from the dust cloud that blew past him. Through the dust, he could see a pair of red eyes coming towards him.

Convexity still sparked on Mirage's scales as he came into view, mimicking the sound of electricity.

Aegon stared at him, mouth hanging open. Cynder's expression wasn't very different from his.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Aegon spat out, pointing a claw at him.

Mirage's lip curled at the sight of him. "Maybe so. But you're the one who's about to be."

He gave no warning before he dashed forward and brought up his tail. He twisted his body in a fluid motion and whirled around. The thick golden bracelet on his tail connected with the side of Aegon's head and he was hurled to the ground.

Aegon quickly rolled over and got up, rubbing his jaw.

"I don't where you've been to avoid our Master's attention, but you should have stayed there. You'll pay for your actions," he hissed, taking a battle stance.

It looked like something snapped in Mirage's head as his expression turned to utter hatred.

"You're ones who are going to pay!"

He summoned shadow around his paws and slashed towards Aegon, sending out slicing shadow projectiles.

Aegon was caught off guard by his attack and couldn't dodge it. Instead, he shielded himself with his wings and gritted his teeth hard when the projectiles sank into his membranes.

Cynder hadn't been able to process what was happening at all. The dragon that had been away for only a moment was now wielding an element that even she herself wasn't supposed to have. He hadn't been gone for long, but now he seemed like an entirely different dragon. It made no sense to her. She could only stare dumbly as he tore Aegon apart.

Aegon's followers were either sharing her confused thoughts or didn't dare to interfere in the fight.

Spyro had spotted Cynder from afar and hurried to her side, making sure that she was alright.

He didn't understand the situation either, but the fact that Cynder was wounded and the only dragons standing were backing away from him gave him all the information he needed.

As much as he would have liked to spectate Mirage's fight, his protective instincts kicked in.

He'd seen the dragons of his search party lying on the ground, either dead or unconscious. That combined with the fact that Cynder had been beaten up as well was easily enough to make him mad.

He was looking for a time to step in, but Mirage was whirling around the field dangerously, dropping enemies with incredible efficiency. The remaining shadow dragon soldiers noticed the fact that the tables were turning against them and started to back off.

Before the first ones even took flight, Mirage incinerated a handful of them with a focused convexity beam.

Spyro paused at the sight. He would have liked nothing else than to show his foes a piece of his mind, but straight up disintegrating them wasn't what he had in mind.

To say that he was unnerved by the black dragon's display of power and ruthlessness was an understatement.

Aegon breathed a cloud of shadow fire on Mirage in hopes of suffocating him, but cut his attack short when he saw that it wasn't having any effect. As the flames cleared, the image of Mirage simply faded away before his eyes.

"Wha-"

His sentence was cut short when Mirage knocked him off his balance with a powerful headbutt.

Mirage stood over him and taunted, "I never expected much from you."

Aegon gritted his teeth and rolled over to get in position to attack again. He launched forward with a powerful kick of his hind legs and tried to hit Mirage with a balled forepaw.

Mirage let the hit come dangerously close, but caught Aegon's paw with his own. He gave a quick devious smirk before turning Aegon's paw around.

Aegon roared in pain as Mirage bent his wrist over its limits and, as a result, left it hanging limply. Mirage whirled around again and slapped Aegon to the ground with his tail.

During his short scrap with Aegon, the rest of his group had taken off. Spyro had either been too stunned to stop them or had decided to let them go. It made no difference to Mirage, though, as he prepared to chase them down.

His body glowed with convexity and shadow as he leaned backwards, before taking a quick jump and flapping his wings.

He rocketed towards the escaping division like a comet.

The ones still standing could only stare in stunned silence at how the sky lit up after Mirage caught up with the group. A loud explosion could be heard before figures starting dropping from the sky. Around Mirage only a dust cloud descended, as the nearest ones had been completely incinerated.

Aegon felt cold fingers grip his chest as he saw his opponent coming back for him. In a short moment the fearsome platoon leader had been turned to a panicked mess. He struggled to get away, trying to run with three legs as his other foreleg couldn't carry any weight. His running looked more like squirming to Spyro and Cynder. He was too panicked to take flight and, because of his burned wingtip, he may have not even been able to.

Mirage sped past Spyro and Cynder and kicked Aegon to the back of his head, making him faceplant. He jumped over him and stopped in front of him, faintly panting from the amount of energy he'd released during his short rampage.

Aegon shivered on the ground and lifted his head shakily.

"P-please… We can still make this okay… We can bring down the Master together…" he pleaded.

Mirage snarled. "Do you seriously think I would ever forgive you or your clan after what they did? Not a chance."

Aegon looked as if all hope died inside of him. His eyes widened in fear of what Mirage would do next.

"Don't do it!" Spyro shouted over to him.

He didn't really want to protect the dragon who had hurt Cynder, but he couldn't just watch as Mirage took their lives in front of him.

The black dragon turned his gaze to Spyro and seemed thoughtful for a moment. For a few seconds, Spyro thought that he'd gotten him back to his senses, but he shook his head.

To his horror, Mirage started to glow with convexity again.

"It's time to pay for what you've done."

Aegon could only open his mouth in attempt to reason with him, but Mirage had already opened his jaws.

Spyro and Cynder shut their eyes as Aegon's scream assaulted their ears. It didn't last long before it died away along with him.

They opened their eyes to see a smoking pit in front of Mirage.

Unconsciously, they both took a battle stance and prepared for anything that Mirage could be planning on.

The shadow dragon turned to look at them but didn't say a word. It was as if he'd done nothing to upset them and didn't pay any mind to them.

"Alright, who are you? And how did you know these guys?!" Cynder demanded.

"You already know who I am and, besides that, it's none of your business."

"I think it's our business when people you know come attacking our friends! You'd better start talking," she continued with an angry tone.

Mirage huffed. "Well, I can tell you that those guys would attack anyone in their way. You just had bad luck to get involved with them."

The duo wasn't at all impressed with his answers.

"You know them; tell us who they are! And how can you use convexity?" Spyro pressed on.

Mirage gave them a serious look before answering. "Trouble, that's what they are. But they will cease to be when I take care of them."

He intentionally let the last question go unanswered, which further agitated the two group leaders.

Mirage turned around and started to walk away from them.

"Where do you think you're going? You'd better answer me!" Spyro stamped a paw on the ground in frustration.

The dragon in question stopped in short order. "I've got things to take care of. Go ahead and continue your mission or whatever."

He took flight and didn't look back at them.

Spyro and Cynder shared a concerned look.

"What do we do now?" Cynder asked.


End file.
